Name: Kelly Keeton
Location: The East Bay Area near San Francisco, California, U.S.
Hangouts online: Vampy Varnish, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+
Current favorite product: Too Faced Tinted BB Cream in Vanilla Glow
Beauty inspirations: Music, books, England, the SF Bay Area, tropical islands, flowers
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Artistic
What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?
The number one thing I can’t live without is an excellent eyeshadow primer, like Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Milani Eyeshadow Primer. I also must have MAC Fast Response Eye Cream (thanks to your rec, Karen!), Simple Light Moisturizer with SPF 15, Nubar Diamont Seal & Shine Topcoat, MAC Russian Red Lipstick and Jack Black Lip Balm, especially in Shea Butter.
When did you start getting into makeup?
I played around with nail polish and lip gloss around 11 or 12 but really started wearing it consistently when I was 13.
What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?
A quick-dry topcoat like Nubar Diamont is a must-have item for anyone who loves nail polish. It dries so quickly and shiny, it’s perfect.
Also, if you want to do a mani but are super short on time, try a textured polish or metallic. They usually dry much quicker than other formulas, and with a texture, you don’t need a base or topcoat!
What’s your favorite beauty tool?
I love the Benefit synthetic angled brush for brows. It’s the perfect size and width for my brows.
What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?
Wear SPF on your face every day! I started in my early 20s, and I really think it’s helped me look younger.
What’s your skincare routine?
In the a.m. I wash my face with a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil in the shower, and twice a week or so I’ll also use a gentle scrub like MAC Volcanic Ash or TheBalm Almond Microdermabrasion Face Scrub.
Then I apply my moisturizer with SPF and usually MAC Fast Response Eye Cream. At night, I usually wash with a Clinique or Soap & Glory cleanser and apply some retinol products on my eye area and face. Then a moisturizer on top. About once every week or two, I’ll do some kind of face mask, like TheBalm Blueberry Face Mask, Origins Charcoal Mask or c.Booth Volcanic Mud Mask.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?
For some insane reason when I was in my early 20s I dip-dyed the ends of my bleached blond hair black.
So about 4 inches of the bottom were black.
It looked much better on singer Berlin! So, to get rid of it, I dipped the ends in pure bleach for a long time, which only turned it a horrible faded brown.
Then I had to cut all of that off.
Do you have a trademark look?
I’ve tried many hair colors and styles, but I always wind up going back to an edgy short pixie or bob and platinum blond. It just works the best for me, and it’s the perfect blank palette for any makeup colors!
Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”
Oh, yes! I wore acrylic nails (shudder) for many years in the ’90s, and it makes me nauseous to think about now!
Where are your favorite places to shop?
I do a lot of shopping online, and some of my favorite places are ModCloth, Sephora, Amazon, Etsy and Zappos. For in-store I like Target, Nordstrom, Sephora and Ulta.
Wow! I love this idea! So great to learn about other beauty addicts in the biz! Great feature on Kelly, I am a huge fan of her blog! These questions were great too, I really enjoyed reading this.
I really look forward to learning about more wonderful people!
Thanks for this Karen, and thanks for the sharing all your info Kelly!
Emily thanks for reading my site, glad you liked this post! I’m excited to see more of them in the future.
Glad you enjoyed this profile, Emily. More to come! 🙂
So lovely lips! 😀
I love this new series and it’s fabulous learning more about Kelly. I think the best part is learning the favorites of other product junkies 🙂
Hey Alison! I always love hearing about other people’s favs as well. 🙂
Ooh, what a great idea to do a fellow beauty lover spotlight like this!
I hope you enjoy the series! Happy Wednesday, btw. What are you up to today?
Oh haaai Kelly! Nice to see you on MBB! What a fab idea, Karen! It’s going to be a really fun series!
Hope you enjoy the posts, Sunny. I think it’s always interesting to read profiles on people.
Oh haaaaaaiiiiii! I think this is a great idea for a series also and thanks!
Great new feature Karen! The tip about the textured polish is really useful Kelly, thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed this post, Ankita! More to come soon. 🙂
Hi Ankita! You are most welcome, frequently I’ve been wearing lots ‘o’ textured polishes (out of sheer laziness), haha.
I love this idea! A chance to learn new ideas and techniques from experts in the beauty world, count me in. Not familiar with Vampy Varnish blog but I will definitely check it out now. Kelly’s lipstick is so pretty!
Hi Denise,
Yah, Kelly’s cool. I met her finally in person and she’s nice (and a cat lady too!). Hope you’re enjoying your day so far. What are you up to?
Thanks Denise! That shade is from Bite Beauty and it’s called Pastille Violet. It’s great stuff!
I like this series! I want to know what her blush and lipcolor are in the photo, too – they’re gorgeous <3
Hi Sarah! I can’t remember what blush I’m wearing (sorry) but the lip shade is Bite Beauty Pastille Violet. They have really great lip products and are at Sephora. 🙂
Such a nice idea Karen. I love to see everyone supporting one another. Looking forward to seeing more in the series
Hi Dode! I agree, and I heart Karen’s blog so I feel so proud to be featured!
Great interview, Kelly! Thanks for sharing the nail polish trick. That’s perfect! Will definitely try it. 🙂
Thanks Arianne! Quick and easy is how I like my nails and makeup, haha.
AHMAGERD my beauty blogs are colliding! I’m looking forward to more featured blogs. I love finding new beauty gurus to stalk/worship/read.
Vampy Varnish ignited both my bright lipstick and nail polish addictions. I always thought I was too pale for orange toned lipstick. After I saw Kelly rock a really bright pink in one entry I said screw it and got some Maybelline Vivid lipsticks. Also Kelly’s nails are normal nails, not scary salon made claws. This makes nail polish pictures way more realistic to me.
Hi Tennyoceres! I am so glad you took the bright lipstick plunge. There is definitely a bright pink/red and orange shade out there for everyone. 🙂
Karen: I also love this idea. Although bloggers often give their recommendations for products on their blogs, it’s great to see these answers in one place. It’s also nice to see some personal info about them, it makes them more “personal” for me. I feel like I kind of know them because I read the blogs nearly every day, but now I feel like I get to know them a little bit more.
Kelly: I read your blog all the time and love it. I’ve already written down your favorite scrub, cleanser, and face mask and I plan to get them when my current stash runs out.
Karen and Kelly: Keep up the great work!
That’s a fun interview! I have been reading Kelly’s blog for a while now and follow her on Instagram too and she is awesome!
I am looking forward to this new series Karen. It’s nice to learn something new from fellow makeup junkies. I’ve been reading Kelly’s blog for quite awhile. I followed her on twitter. She’s the one who influenced me to try Sonia Kashuk products. Thanks Karen and Kelly for being a positive influence!
Hooray! I love seeing the camaraderie amongst beauty bloggers- I’m a fan and regularly visit both your blogs. The other day I was blown away when one of my fave bloggers posted a FOTD inspired by another fave blogger- and these glamorous gals are both at the opposite ends of the beauty spectrum. One is Super experimental, plays with color, the other is an expert at natural, everyday looks. I Love Love Love that! Thanks for a great feature and am hoping to see more of my favorite bloggers interviewed in upcoming posts! Kelly and Karen you are fab! thanks for all you do!
Karen, this is an excellent and very supportive idea! I’m looking forward to more features to come 😀 I don’t do my nails a lot but I always check out Kelly’s blog when I need good nail swatches – absolutely no fail. Keep up the good work, ladies!
This is a great idea 🙂 I like to more in future 🙂
Oh Kelly, I think you’d look lovely in a “Terri Nunn” (the lead singer of Berlin!) And I am SO checking out theBalm Blueberry mask. I’m on a blueberry lick right now and this sounds much better for me than pie!
I love this series Karen. You are always so supportive towards other blogs. Just one of the reasons you’re so amazing.
Ha! I mean blueberry KICK not lick. But it kinda works…
Oh wow Karen, this series looks amazing already! Vampy Varnish is one of my favorite nail bloggers!