Product Reviews

The MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Fleek/Patrickstarrr Full Face Kit

April 4th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

mac patrick starrrr me so fleek — I wore this MAC Patrick Starrr Face Kit to Trader Joe’s yesterday and had a moment.

It’s not like a Mariah Carey diva spotlight shot down from the heavens in the middle of Trader Joe’s yesterday, but one might as well have. I was standing in front of the eggs gawking at an empty section on the top shelf where the liquid egg whites were supposed to be. Connor was sitting in the cart, and I looked at her and said, “THERE’S NOOOOO MORRRRRRRRE!” perhaps a little too loudly (and my family wonders where she gets her expressive tendencies).

I was wearing, by the way, one of the two new MAC Patrick Starrr Face Kits with purple matte lips, a peachy mauve lid with blue liner, and plum cheeks…

It was subtle though. 🙂 It wasn’t too crazy for Trader Joe’s at two on a Tuesday afternoon, and I know this because none of the seniors from the nearby senior center shot me side eye while I was eyeing the pre-made salads.

mac patrick starrr me so fleek k1 — I’m wearing the MAC Patrick Starrr Me So Fleek Full Face Kit, and the lip is Queen P Lipglass.

mac patrick starrrr me so fleek k2 — Hey Boy Hey Lipstick is super pigmented, but it’s still easy enough that you can apply it straight from the tube, which is what I did here, without needing a lip brush or lip liner. It’s more pink and purple than MAC Heroine (in case you were wondering if it was a dupe)

Cut back to scene: me standing there with my arms outstretched to the heavens (the florescent ceiling lights) and saying, “THERE’S NOOOOO MORRRRRRRRE!” and this dude who was restocking a display of asparagus nearby said, “There’s no what, miss?”

And I was like, “EXCUSE ME? Did you call me MISS?” And I momentarily forgot that I wanted the egg whites to make overnight oats for my breakfast tomorrow because nobody — and I mean NOBODY — calls me miss anymore.

I mean…I feel like I look pretty young for my age, but I get called ma’am now, and it doesn’t help that I walk around with a grumpy piano teacher face all the time because I’m so friggin’ tired, and my lips are pursed, my jaw is clenched, and my hair’s up in a severe bun so the baby doesn’t pull it when she’s TT-ing (toddler tantrum-ing). But yesterday my locks were loose and flowing, and I was wearing this Me So Fleek Face Kit.

So I was workin’ it, son. 🙂

mac patrick star me so fleek swatches — Eye Shadow X 4/Play With Me (In Living Pink, All’s Rosy, Hickie, In the Shadows), Take Me Home Powder Blush Duo, Retro Matte Lipstick in Hey Boy Hey, Lipglass in Queen P

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Too Faced Clover Collection Melted Clover Lipstick and the Clover Makeup Bag

April 4th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

too faced melted clover — I get weirdly guilty about eating cookies in the shapes of animals

*** KAWAII ALERT *** KAWAII ALERT *** KAWAII ALERT***

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We interrupt our regular programming to bring you this important message:

I haven’t worn anything from Too Faced Cosmetics in a hot second, but it looks like they’re still doing their thing, appealing to everyone’s inner 12-year-old girl. They have a new collection out that’s so kawaii that there aren’t enough emojis on this blog to describe it. ????

So I’ll use emoticons instead! (✿◕‿◕) (ʘ‿ʘ✿)

The Clover collection is available now. There’s a palette and cute makeup bags, including this one, the Clover Makeup Bag ($20), which looks very Tokidoki, don’t you think?

It has a narwhal on it, so you gotta love on that. Clover is Too Faced Cosmetics founder Jerrod Blandino’s dog, and his charm looks extra cute on the zipper.

too faced clover makeup bag — Check out Clover doing the over-the-shoulder “look at my booty” pose (pretty sure Tabs did it first, though)

too faced clover makeup bag 2 — Sweet pup-pup

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OUAI Dry Texture Wheat Protein-Infused Texturizing Foam Creates Instant Undone Texture and Hold

April 3rd, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

ouai dry texture foam — Say it with me — “WHEY.”

I love that I can walk around nowadays with messy hair that looks like I just woke up, but have it be, like, a legit hairstyle (Dear Beauty Goddesses, please don’t let this trend go away!). Texturizing sprays (or naps on the couch) are the typical way to get this lived-in look, where you’ve got clumps of hair sticking together and tussled waves like you just emerged from a wind tunnel, and there are lots of good ones out there, but now there’s a new way to get the same look by going down a different path, and it’s from OUAI (you’ve probably seen them all over the ‘gram).

Dry Texture Foam is $28 for a decently-sized 5.8-oz. bottle, and it’s for curly, wavy and straight hair types. You shoot a little foam into your palm, then work it through your hair while it’s dry, starting at the tips and working your way up the shaft.

It does everything a texturizing spray does — you know, roughing up the hair, upping volume, keeping the curl pattern — but in some ways, it does them so much better. I really like the “piece-y” effect I get from this foam.

The foam gathers up more strands and clumps them together into chunkier pieces than the sprays I’ve used, which makes my hair more visually interesting, a.k.a. messier. LOL! I also like that it roughs up the strands just a touch, like you took a 10-minute cat nap at your desk at work (hey, no judgement), but not like you got caught in a tornado.

Now, OUAI products generally have strong fragrances, and when I put this in my hair in the morning, I smell it all day long. It’s SUPER strong and gets up in your business like that one Auntie at Filipino parties who’s all, “Why aren’t you married to your boyfriend yet? Why don’t you have kids? Aren’t your parents sad they don’t have grandchildren yet?” It smells exactly like OUAI’s shampoo and conditioner or a Byredo white floral with honeysuckle, jasmine, lily of the valley, and some white musk thrown in there for schmexiness.

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MAC Supernatural Dazzle: Dazzleshadows in It’s All About Shine, Shine De-Light, Oh So Gilty, Dazzle Style, Dreamy Beams and Midnight Shine

March 30th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

Hey, if this were like an Internet spelling ? bee, and we had to spell Dreamy Beams, which is the Dazzleshadow from MAC that I’m super in love with right now, it would be spelled D-R-E-A-M-Y B-E-A-M-Z. But maybe with two Zs — NO, THREE Zs! Beamzzz. Then you’d be the the legit Internet spelling bee winner with your three crazy Zs. ?

mac dazzleshadow swatches — It’s All About Shine (NEW), Shine De-Light (NEW), Oh So Gilty (NEW), Dazzle Style (NEW), Dreamy Beams (NEW) and Midnight Shine (Repromote)

I’m wearing Dreamy Beams, a beautiful bronzed brown with a squeeze of purple, on my lids today and thinking that I need to wear it every day for perhaps the next two months! It’s one of the new $18 Dazzleshadows from the MAC Supernatural Dazzle collection, which quietly dropped on MAC counters and the MAC website a few weeks ago.

There are a bunch of these glittery eyeshadow singles, some Dazzleglass glosses as well, all being added to the MAC permanent line. Some of the shades are new, some are re-promotes… Among the Dazzleshadow eyeshadows, there are six new ones, and I have five swatched here. Beamy Dreams… HAHAHA! Dreamy Beams is one of the new ones, and it’s the most swoon-y to me, although there are several that make me fall out of my flip-flops, like moody Midnight Shine, a dark plummy purple.

A few of the gorgeous @maccosmetics Dazzleshadows glistening in the sunshine! From the top: It’s All About Shine, Shine De-Light, Oh So Gilty, Dazzle Style, Dreamy Beams, Midnight Shine #maccosmetics #makeupswatches #makeupstash #makeupcollection

A post shared by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on Mar 29, 2018 at 9:34am PDT

These aren’t like the UD Moondusts at all, even though they look similar in the pans. I love the Moondusts, but they’re sheerer than these are, and the glitter bits are bigger, so I think of them more as glitter top coats. Like, if you already have your eyes done on Friday night, and you’re about to leave the house but you want a little something extra, you tap a Moondust on your lids.

On the other hand, you can build an eye look around a single Dazzleshadow. You don’t need to apply them on top of something else because they have a pigmented base, so they can stand alone.

mac dreamy beams — Dreaming of Keanu Reeves making me blueberry pancakes while wearing Dreamy Beams on my lids…

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Prospecting Ain’t Easy: Benefit Gold Rush Blush Takes Work

March 28th, 2018 by Karen 24 Comments

benefit gold rush blush pacaging — The newest boxed blush by Benefit

Girl, I used to wear shoes like the pair on this box of Benefit Gold Rush Blush, and I’d be able to run in them, too!

Ah, memories of my former taller life… And by “taller,” I mean 5 feet 5 inches tall in 4-inch ? heels.

(In my mind, I’m a 5-foot-8-inch Glamazon, LOL!)

OK, enough rambling. 🙂 Benefit Gold Rush, their latest box o’ blush, just arrived on counters in two sizes, a full-size 0.17-oz. version for $29, and a smaller 0.08-oz. mini for $15. Both are peachy pink with big baddie gold flecks.

That top layer of golden shimmer is an overspray, but there’s also glitter within the peachy pink powder itself. So you won’t be hurtin’ for glitter with Gold Rush. That’s all I’m sayin’.

benefit gold rush blush pan — Yes, that’s an overspray, but there’s also glitter within!

You also won’t be hurtin’ if you’ve been looking your whole life for a HEAVILY scented blush that’s strong enough to pass for a perfume, because this one can.

All of Benefit’s boxes o’ blush are scented (I believe), but this is the strongest one. Definitely the strongest I can recall. I get strong sandalwood and sugar notes, and it’s also supposed to have citrus and vanilla, but I don’t detect those at all.

So, I actually like quite a few perfume-y powders, like Guerlain and Chanel bronzers, and I totes don’t mind smelling like a Nordstrom fragrance counter when I wear them, but Gold Rush is a tad too sweet for my taste. I think it’s cloying, like it belongs in a hot pink body spray with neon star-shaped glitter, but you know how it is with scented products. Just because I’m not a fan doesn’t mean you won’t love it.

benefit gold rush blush swatch — Look closely, because the swatch is there, man!

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The New Urban Decay Naked Heat Vice Lipsticks

March 28th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

urban decay naked heat lipsticks spring 2018 — Coming in hot: seven new Urban Decay Naked Heat Vice Lipsticks ($18 each)

DUUUDE. Urban Decay Naked Heat (we’re gonna talk about the new Naked Heat Vice Lipsticks in a second). Not to get to deep on you, but if you think about it, which came first? — nakedness or heat? Like, was it SO HOT that clothes were removed and nakedness ensued? Or were these people — if we’re imagining people dancing around a fire, don’t ask me why my brain goes there — were they naked first, so they were cold, and then they had to get closer to the fire to get heated? WHO KNOWS?

Yeah, chew on THAT for a bit.

Ooh, Urban Decay, there you go again, throwing another limited edition log on the Naked Heat fire. UD just added seven new Naked Heat Vice Lipsticks, all inspired by the original Naked Heat palette and lipsticks, and the petite Naked palette last month, and this release is like “Naked Heat Lipsticks Part Deux.” (Because everything sounds better in French.)

These $18 shades are warm like the colors in a big ol’ bonfire — burgundies, browns, wine — basically, lots of darker colors in metallic finishes with a sprinkling of peachy nudes, which, yeah, I know, #karenishashtagbasic, but I really like them.

urban decay naked heat lipstick swatches — First Sin, Fuel 2.0, Trip, Faith, En Fuego, Singe and Ember

So, I’m always a little thrown by UD’s Vice Lipstick packaging, because…I mean, it’s nice-looking, but when I pick it up, it feels so insubstantial to me and kind of…cheap.

But then I open them up (!), and these Vices feel and wear like a $$$$ Guerlain Rouge G.

urban decay ember — Ember, a metallic coppery burgundy

urban decay singe — Singe, a metallic deep wine red with glitter

They’re practically pure pigment in a bullet. With the exception of First Sin, which is sheerer than the others and more of a mid-level cream, when I slide them across my lips once or twice, BAM! — full-color smile. 🙂 And even though you’ve got all this color on your lips, the formula doesn’t pool in your lip lines. It’s smooth, intense and regal.

urban decay en fuego — En Fuego, a matte burgundy

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The Urban Decay Backtalk Eye & Face Palette Is Getting People Heated!

March 27th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

urban decay backtalk palette eye swatch — Wearing the new Urban Decay Backtalk palette on my lids and cheeks, and UD Backtalk Vice Lipstick on my lips (a classic shade in the permanent line)

MAN, people are FIRED UP ? about the $46 Urban Decay Backtalk Palette, and it’s not just because of the warm tones. If you read some of the reviews on Sephora… My goodness! They make it sound like you’re smearing melted cat poop all over you eyelids when you use it. I mean, people have FEELINGS about it, and the main complaint seems to be the level of pigment, which I don’t really understand because I’m not having problems with it.

Granted, I don’t think the palette is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I’m not raving about it, but…

urban decay backtalk palette 1 — Pink, mauve and, yes, warm

It was inspired by a lipstick.

Anyway, let me rewind a second. First things first — the packaging. There’s a mirror in the middle that separates eight powder eyeshadows and four blushes, and the mirror slides out, which I like.

urban decay backtalk mirror — Now you see it, now you don’t.

The shades are predominantly varieties of warm mauve and pink, which again, is because the palette was inspired by Urban Decay’s Backtalk Vice Lipstick in the permanent line.

urban decay backtalk palette eyeshadow — A mix of matte and shimmery shades

urban decay backtalk palette blush — The blushes have different levels of pearl.

It’s actually pretty good!

I’ve been wearing it, and I haven’t had a problem with the pigment, which is generally on the more intense side of medium, so the shades aren’t quite “full on,” but they aren’t as sheer as some of the reviews have said.

urban decay backtalk palette swatches — What’s that, Karen? You’re still an NC42 in MAC for reference? Yes…yes, I am.

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New Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Gloss

March 27th, 2018 by Karen 5 Comments

urban decay hi fi shine lip gloss — Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lip Glosses ($20 each)

Where are all the naked dudes?!

It’s a completely legitimate question to ask when you’re talking about new Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Gloss, because, as you might remember…

Of course you remember, and don’t play like you don’t! 🙂

UD did that line of lipglosses back in the day with holographic pictures of half-naked dudes on the caps (THEY WERE CALLED POCKET ROCKET. There. *snaps* Sorry, took me a moment to remember.), and when you turned the caps, they’d go from smiling and posing like catalog models, to looking over their shoulder in tight purple boxer briefs.

It was so cheeky, crazy and fun, and quite a different style for UD at the time — not their usual tattoos and piercings cool girl vibe. It’s hard to imagine they did something like that, but I guess if people can change and evolve, so can makeup brands.

Urban Decay glosses through the years…

I used to really ? Honey-Infused Lip Love Therapy.

Remember the mega MINTY Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Glosses?

Of course, we can’t forget these dudes!

The Revolution glosses had the coolest packaging.

An amalgam of two classic lipgloss lines

These new $20 plumping lipglosses do NOT have any Magic Mike action happening on their caps (sorry to disappoint you, ya pervert), but they still got it goin’ on.

Until recently, UD had two separate gloss lines — Revolution and Naked — but they phased them out and replaced them with this line, Hi-Fi Shine.

These are basically the old Naked gloss formula with an additional plumping element, new packaging and new colors. UD carried over some of the Revolution shades (Revolution was their brighter line) and Naked shades (Naked was their nudes line), and added some others. Then they divided them all among four finishes — Cream, Sheer Cream, Holographic and Metallic.

Old flames and new loves

I’m glad they kept the colors I wear all the time, like Beso (a creamy, deep pinkish mauve), Fireball, Naked and Snitch (OMG, this coral!), they also added some new potential stars, like bright purple Jawbreaker and creamy mauve pinkish nude Backtalk.

urban decay hi fi shine lip gloss in beso — Beso, a deep pink-mauve cream (Cream)

urban decay hi fi shine lip gloss in fireball — Fireball, a holographic peach with pink sparkle (Holographic)

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