Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

The Day in Beauty Vol. 22: The MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Eyeshadows and Baby Steps

July 11th, 2016 by Karen 29 Comments

mac bangin brilliant eyeshadows 1 — MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Eyeshadows in Up At Dawn, Suspiciously Sweet, Fashion’s Field Day, I’m Into It, Oh My Mocha! and Ruddy

Can I just raise my crazy cat lady coffee cup to you for your great advice in the comments on this post the other day? Thank you!

I read every single comment, and I’ve just been thinking about them and taking everything you said to heart.

Honestly, sweets, what would I do without you? For all of these years… I don’t even know. From makeup advice to baby advice to keeping my head above water. Thank you! You’re wonderful. 🙂

mac banging brilliant eyeshadows 2 — MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Eyeshadows in Shock Factor, New Crop, Teal Appeal, In The Shadows, Zinc Blue and How Royal

So like I said, I’ve been taking everything you said to heart, and last weekend I just did what I could handle, which was 20 minutes using some non-neutral shadows.

I used two from the new MAC Bangin’ Brilliant collection — which, yeah, you may have noticed that bright teal and that neon yellow waving at you from across the room up there, LOL! — and gave myself 20 minutes.

I told myself, “You know what? If it turns out sloppy, fine. I haven’t done any fancy blending in a while, so whatever happens, happens. No pressure.”

And this is what happened! I ended up with a lightly smoky, sort of purplish, coralish shimmery look. And even though I could’ve done it better, and the perfectionist in me is kind of poking me in the ribs, at least I did it, ya know? At least I tried something a little ambitious this time, and I’m happy about that.

mac banging brilliant — Wearing MAC Fashion’s Field Day Eyeshadow on my inner lid and Oh My Mocha! Eyeshadow on my outer lid; on my lips I’m wearing NARS Lodhi

So, the shadows here — part of MAC Bangin’ Brilliant — they launched last month at select MAC locations and online. The release was called a “collection” (airquotes), but really, it was mostly just an introduction to some bright new Eyeshadows, Dazzleshadows, Powder Blushes and Lipsticks that were added to the MAC permanent line.

Here are pictures of 12 of the 14 eyeshadows, which are $16 each.

The underlying (albeit in your face) theme here is brights, and one of these days, hopefully soon, I’ll get that shimmery teal shadow, Teal Appeal, on my lids. 🙂

mac bangin brilliant eyeshadow swatches — MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Eyeshadow swatches from the left in Up At Dawn, Suspiciously Sweet, Fashion’s Filed Day, I’m Into It, Oh My Mocha! and Ruddy

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 431

July 11th, 2016 by Karen 37 Comments

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past eight (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Do you have any birthmarks?
I have two. One is located on the back of my left thigh; it’s kind of small-ish. Last time I checked, it was shaped like the State of Florida.

And I used to have — and I say “used to have” because I just checked, and I can’t seem to find it — I used to have a mole on the bottom of my right heel, but it’s gone!

I don’t know. Is that even physically possible? Maybe I need to wash my feet…

Are your toes currently painted? If so, what are they wearing?
YAAAAASSS! Of course they’re painted, because when they’re not painted, they look like monkey paws.

I’m wearing two coats of Essie Gel Polish in Beauty VIP, a creamy jade green.

What’s your signature dance move?
The Snake, girlfriend! You can’t out-Snake me.

When was the last time you gave someone flowers?
The last time I gave someone flowers was Mother’s Day. I got my mom a potted orchid, and she got me the same thing, so we each gave each other potted orchids.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being pro-caliber, how do you rate your winged liner skills?
I’d give myself a solid 7. I think I’m pretty good at it. I do have my days when I can do, like, with a liquid pen liner, one fell swoop from inner to outer corner, but those days are few and far between… I can do it though.

Yeah, a solid 7.

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. Do you have any birthmarks?
2. Are your toes currently painted? If so, what are they wearing?
3. What’s your signature dance move?
4. When was the last time you gave someone flowers?
5. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being pro-caliber, how do you rate your winged liner skills?

Hi, sweet pea. 🙂 Happy Monday to ya. I hope you’re feeling fab this morning and that your day got off to a good start.

I’m in a good mood because Connor woke up in a good mood. When I reached down to pick her up from her crib, the first thing she did was smile, and it was one of those “smile with your eyes” kind of smiles.

If you need it, here’s a big virtual hug [*HUG!*]. Have a nice rest of your day, and I’ll talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 406

July 10th, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

If you’re a cat, there’s a lot to see and do on our little oak tree-covered hill. It’s home to a thriving community of turkeys, deer, other cats (some nice, some malcontents), dogs, coyotes, quail, finches, owls, hawks, crows, woodpeckers, raccoons, squirrels, foxes and a rabbit (or two), to name a few.

Tabs sort of administers everything to make sure the community performs at an optimal level, which he likes to do from one of his many perches, like his window shelf in the living room or his outdoor tabby command center.

But sometimes you have to get out there and get your paws dirty to see what’s really going on, which we did today on our walk.

The grass on the hill is all dead and dry right now, but the oak trees are green and action-packed.

Problem is, some of the critters in the area aren’t following proper procedures, like this ne’er–do–well who refused to show Tabs his authorized tree pass.

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The Day in Beauty Vol. 21: Pancakes and Painting Paws With Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish

July 9th, 2016 by Karen 32 Comments

Hey, dear friend. Sweet and lovely greetings to you on this summer Saturday.

With sad, unsettling things in the news this week, makeup seems extra frivolous…but we all need a break from real life sometimes. And to be honest, that’s one of the reasons I like makeup and beauty. Right now I’m soothing my spirit sitting by the windows and playing with these bottles of Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish ($11.50 each).

Did you just do a double-take? I did the first time I saw these twisty bottles (inspired by twirling runway dresses). For a second there I thought that Essie went and lost her mind with a bottle redesign, because I love those classic square Essie bottles, but no, these are a completely new, additional collection available now in Essie’s permanent line.

There are 42 shades, and they work a lot like gel polishes. You don’t have to use them with a base coat. You just apply however many coats you want, then add a layer of the special topcoat that comes with the collection (it’s supposed to be the one that comes with the collection, so not any old topcoat).

There’s a wide range of colors from semi-sheer pastels, like the pinks and beiges Essie is famous for, along with quite a few fiercer colors like dark blues and fun greens.

I like gel nail polishes like these because of how incredibly fast they dry, and these are no joke! When I do two layers and the top coat, they’re completely bone dry — like, I can type, fiddle with my hair, whatever — in 10 minutes. That is SO fast.

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A Quick Modern Pin-Up Look With Glo Minerals

July 7th, 2016 by Adia Goss 12 Comments

I gotta say that this Glo Minerals neutral eyeshadow palette and cream blush are sooo good! I mean, the blush is crazy pigmented, and the eyeshadows are smooth and silky.

After trying the Glo Minerals lip crayons a couple of months ago, I’d been dying to try more from the brand. So I did!

This neutral eyeshadow palette and vibrant lipstick made me think of a modern-day pin-up look, so for this makeup look I kept the eyes pretty neutral and added some punch with the coral blush (Go Minerals Guava) and red/orange lip (Glo Minerals Crush).

The Glo Minerals Elemental Eye Collection palette ($44) is the second neutral eyeshadow palette I’ve used and recently reviewed (my thoughts on the other one, this palette by Buxom, are here), and I really like it!

The darker shades mean that you can totally do a super smokey eye with it, but the shimmery eyeshadows are easy to apply for quick washes of color, and there are four warm-toned shades and four cool-toned shades, so it’s very versatile.

All of the shades are mattes, except for two of them, which are shimmery, so I think there’s a little something for everyone.

Here are swatches of the shadows:

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Some Thoughts on Makeup and Life

July 7th, 2016 by Karen 66 Comments

You guys. So, it occurred to me the other day when I did the same look for the umpteen millionth time with lashes, liner and a nude lip that I might be in a makeup rut.

Like a serious makeup rut!

And I think I need help.

So, where do you go when you need help? You ask your girlfriends, of course.

Here’s the deal. I just… Right before I had the baby, I was sooo tired all the time. I wasn’t wearing a lot of makeup at all. Then, after I had the baby, it got even worse, because then I didn’t have any energy or time to put on makeup.

But Connor is four months old now, and I’m ready to get back into my groove and my regular life again, but I’ve gotten used to only putting in the tiniest amount of effort, and things like doing a full-on smokey eye are very daunting.

I haven’t worn a lot of makeup in five or six months, which is a long time for me. I just really haven’t been taking care of myself in that way for a while.

I’m guessing that this is something a lot of women go through? I don’t know… I’ve talked to friends about it, about getting into certain habits with your look of like, I dunno, wearing your hair or doing your makeup the same way for weeks or months, and I’m definitely in that monkey house.

I’m trying though. The other day I laid out a whole bunch of eye products and took pictures of them, because not only am I kind of out of practice when it comes to putting on my makeup (I think I’ve lost a little bit of the muscle memory?), I also haven’t spent a lot of time in front of my camera.

So I was looking at all of these beautiful colors and finishes and the different formulas — the creams, powders and whatnot — on the table in front of me and started thinking, “What if I layer this shade with that one?” and “What if I blend these two things together?”

I thought it was a eureka moment!

I felt like I finally figured something out, but the next day when I sat down to do my makeup, I went right back to — you guessed it! — lashes, liner and a nude lip.

The thing is, I really do miss doing more with my makeup. I want to. I’m just stuck or something.

And maybe this is also a metaphor for my life in some ways. Not to sound too corny, but there are things I want to do and so many paths I want to explore, but at this point in my life, I’ve gotten accustomed to the patterns of my day and living those same patterns day in, day out. It’s gotten harder and harder to push myself in new directions.

I mean, yeah, things have definitely changed a lot since the baby came along, but still, it’s different from when I was in my teens, twenties and early thirties, when, seriously, it felt like something was always happening to get me out of my comfort zone. Now it’s been so long since I’ve pushed myself that way that I don’t know how it feels anymore.

Anywho…thank you for listening to this long, rambling, whining thing, friend. If you have any advice about makeup, life or whatever, I’d love to hear from you.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

NARS Fall 2016 First Impressions

July 6th, 2016 by Karen 16 Comments

Ooh, the NARS Fall 2016 collection makes me wanna unleash my inner artiste!

Look at all those pencils… My goodness. I’m tempted to grab one of my adult color books.

Coming July 15 to NARS boutiques and the NARS website, and sometime in August to Sephora and NARS counters, this one’s mostly about the pencils.

nars fall 2016 eyeliner — NARS Velvet Eyeliners from the left in Black Moon, Mambo, Curacao, Kaliste, London, Blue Lotus, Last Frontier, Las Pozas and Darklight ($24 each)

The big news? The new $24 NARS Velvet Eyeliners, which are coming in nine shades. They’re like smokey kohls…

They get soft and smooth, so you can smudge and smoke ’em out, making them great bases for smokey eyes looks and, of course, you can also use them to line your lash and water lines.

On my water lines, though, I get some transferring onto the skin along my lash lines, which isn’t a big deal to me, because I just end up smooshing and smudging them out anyway (’cause homegirl likes it SMOKAYYYY!), but it’s there.

The collection also includes two NARS contour blush duos, three eyeshadows and two red matte lip pencils.

nars fall 2016 contour blush — The $42 NARS Contour Blushes in Melina (left) and Talia (right)

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Three Wallet-Friendly Products From Umberto Beverly Hills That Protect, Tame and Add Glorious Shine!

July 6th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 4 Comments

Umberto Beverly Hills Controller Conditioning Spray ($9.99), Shimmer Shine Spray ($9.99) and Regular Hairspray ($9.99)

NYC summer is in full swing, and it is HOT.

When it’s breazy, it’s bearable, but when it’s not…it’s awful, y’all. I have to wash my hair every day, which is not how I normally like to roll.

When it’s hot like this, my best buddy is dry shampoo, but I’ve also been on the lookout lately for something to add extra texture and shine.

So, as a self-proclaimed greaseball, whenever I’m contemplating a new hair (or skin) product that’s supposed to add shine, I tread very carefully (some shine is good, but some shine is not).

I had such a good experience with Umberto Beverly Hills Lifting Powder recently that I decided to give some of their other products a try, including their $10 Shimmer Shine Spray, Controller Conditioning Spray and Regular Hairspray.

Umberto Savone is a popular stylist and salon owner over in Beverly Hills, and his line of products is exclusive to his salons and Target.

I’ve been trying to find a leave-in conditioner/detangler that doesn’t weigh down my hair for YEARS, and the Controller Conditioning Spray is perfect. It’s my favorite one of these three, and it also does heat protection! Yay!

Surprisingly, I also really like the Shimmer Shine Spray. Because of my oily skin and hair, I’ve never used a spray specifically made for shine before. I was a little nervous to give it a try, but it actually works! It adds QUITE a bit of shine (but not shimmer), and the greasiness depends on how much I use. If I go overboard, it does grease up my roots a bit.

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