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

I Want These Boots…

December 18th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

My justification for these Packable Tour Boots in Military Red (they’re $150, OMG!) by Hunter is that El Niño is coming/almost here, and I’m not about to mess with El Niño, man.

If The Niño is going to unleash his wrath on my feet and the surrounding area, I need to be prepared. Plus, hello! — they’re red, so they’ll match MAC Velvetease Lip Pencil in Anything Goes, my new favorite red lipstick.

Having red rain boots to match your red lipstick is of the utmost importance! I know you feel me on this!

Also, they’d match the little red lipstick kisses on this sweater I got from A Pea in the Pod last month (on sale, haaay). 🙂

I can’t seem to find it on their website anymore, but if you’re moved by it, it might be on the rack in their stores (here’s a link to their store locator). It’s warm, comfy, isn’t scratchy (because NOBODY has time for scratchy sweaters), and I’d still want to wear it if I wasn’t pregnant.
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Have You Hit Pan Lately?

December 18th, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

This happened this morning to my pan of Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Bronze (which is a total unsung hero, by the way), and all I have to say is VICTORY!

It felt glorious, in case you were wondering. 🙂

Have you hit pan lately? Inquiring minds want to know.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. The lip is MAC Just My Type Velvetease Lip Pencil, by the way.

P.P.S. STAR WARS!!!!!!!!! We’ve got tickets for tomorrow. 🙂

Pregnancy Update, 28 Weeks!

December 17th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

I just posted a baby bump post on the blog the other day, but I haven’t done a YouTube update in a while, so here we are at 28 weeks! Baby Girl, otherwise known as My Little Ninja because she kicks all day long, is doing fine.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Not baby related, but this might be of interest to you if you’re a Clinique fan and live in Southern California…

From Clinique PR:

“Clinique and Eden Passante, DIY Expert behind Sugar&Charm, celebrate the holiday season with complimentary custom gift-wrap services at Macy’s South Coast Plaza [in Costa Mesa].

“In the final few days before the holiday, Clinique has created the perfect one-stop holiday shop! This year, Clinique and Eden Passante, DIY expert and founder of the blog Sugar & Charm, are celebrating together with custom holiday gift-wrap, DIY present toppers and gift tags!

Macy’s South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Friday, December 18th, 2015
5:00pm-7:00pm

On Friday, December 18th, 2015, Clinique will be providing complimentary custom gift-wrap services with the purchase of any Clinique holiday set. Eden Passante will be adding DIY gift touches to complete each present, making the recipient feel extra special before they even open their gift! We’re taking the stress out of holiday shopping — come pick up some last minute gifts with custom wrapping or buy yourself a little holiday gift for you to unwrap yourself, you deserve it!”

Hmm… I live a few hundred miles away, but I could always use another Cheek Pop Blush. 🙂

Answers to Your Burning MAC Velvetease Lip Pencil Questions

December 17th, 2015 by Karen 8 Comments

Got some questions about the MAC Velvetease Lip Pencils the other day…

Do they retract?

From Tatiana:

“They twist up, but do they retract as well? Or is it just a one way mechanism? I love the NARS pencils, but the caps always fall off in my bag and make a mess. I like that I don’t need a sharpener for these.”

Hi Tatiana,

Yes, they twist up, AND they retract, so you’re not stuck with a pencil tip poking out of the end, which leads me to wonder…why does anyone ever make a lip pencil that doesn’t retract? That sounds like crazy business to me!

Are they like the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils?

From Jessica, Alexis and, seriously, half of YouTube:

How do these compare to the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils?

Hi guys,

They’re similar. Like the NARS Velvet Mattes, the MAC Velvetease Pencils feel light, comfy and creamy, and they’re packed with pigment. I don’t think you can go wrong with either one, but I think the MAC pencils are slightly thinner and creamier, so they go on smoother.

I also think they’re a little less drying than the NARS Velvet Mattes.

Oh, and the sharpening sitch? The NARS ones have to be sharpened, which can be a pain if you don’t like toting a sharpener around with you.
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With Long-Wearing Matte Liquid Lipsticks, My Lips Are NOT a Winter Wonderland

December 17th, 2015 by Karen 39 Comments

How my lips feel today, in a nutshell... — How my lips feel today, in a nutshell…

Man, oh, man! Long-wearing matte liquid lipsticks look sooo good, but they can also be sooo drying.

I don’t know what I was thinking yesterday by swatching the 15 new MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours in friggin’ winter.

Well…almost winter, and even though it doesn’t get real-deal 30-below cold here, it’s still been cold for California (is that also ’cause of El Niño?), and the heater has been kicking on every five seconds, so I don’t know why I thought my lips would come out of this swatch-fest unscathed.

YOU SO CRAZY, KAREN!!! What the heck were you thinking? After removing the last of the swatches, my lips felt like I’d been tongue wrestling a cheese grater, and they’re still a little tender today.

That’s what I get for thinking that I could try on 15 matte liquid lipsticks…

BUT THEY WERE SO PRETTY!!! 🙂

Haha.

The lesson here? This time of year, consider the condition of your lips before reaching for the long-wearing matte liquid lipstick because, by nature, they can be pretty drying, even though the MAC Retro Mattes are no more drying than usual (in fact, I think they’re slightly less drying than usual).

It won’t be an issue if your lips are in good shape, and you aren’t contending with dryness or flakes (and if that describes you, can I please have whatever you’re having?).
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MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour Video Review & Swatches

December 16th, 2015 by Karen 31 Comments

Swatching all of these new MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour lipsticks yesterday was an adventure because they’re CRAZY pigmented. They’re liquid mattes, which means they can be a little drying (purr usual), or SUPER drying when it comes to my super sensitive lips, especially after applying and removing 15 of them, but with good lip prep beforehand, you should be fine.

After all, only crazy people put on 15 liquid lipsticks one after another.

MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour

$20 US each/$24 CAD
Available January 7, 2016 at all MAC locations (permanent line)

Fashion Legacy – an intense fire truck red

Feels So Good – a deep true red

High Drama – a deep, dark plum

Dance with Me – a deep cranberry red

Lady-Be-Good – a warm mid-ton nude

Tailored to Tease – a bright fuchsia

Oh, Lady – a deep wine

Recollection – an intense bright violet

Quite the Standout – a bright orange-red

To Matte With Love – a bright raspberry

Personal Statement – a shocking pink

Divine-Divine – a light creamy pink

Mademoiselle – a bright creamy coral

Back in Vogue – a peachy nude

Rich & Restless – a mid-tone pinky salmon

As always, thank you for watching! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Alleged Minimal Makeup

December 16th, 2015 by Karen 35 Comments

I say “alleged minimal makeup” here because, let’s get real, this is more like maximum makeup, but being an obsessive makeup lover I actually wear more makeup than this on a regular basis with primers and color correctors and blending for days and layering and liner and basically everything and the kitchen sink (I’m sooo not shy when it comes to wearing zeh face paint), so even though this probably isn’t “streamlined” (air quotes) for many makeup lovers, it’s streamlined for me.

Um…I think this might be a little confusing? Because now I’m totally confused, HAHA! What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that this is by no means minimal makeup when you look at the sheer number of products, but it’s minimal makeup for me at the moment, which for me is also maximum makeup at the moment, because I seriously…I cannot handle anything more than this.

THIS BABY IS MAKING ME CRAY-CRAY!!!!

I’ve been wearing the products here in some fashion or other pretty much daily for the past two weeks (like, if I’m in a hurry, I’ll skip the highlighter and bronzer) and, depending on how much time I have and what I’m in the mood for, my makeup has been taking me anywhere from 5-15 minutes to do.

For the most part, the other elements of my looks haven’t varied much, with the exception of lip color, which has varied a lot, and when I can’t decide on a lip color, I’ll just throw on a pinkish nude ’cause it’s easy, ya know?

What’s up in the mix…
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Bump Watch: 28 Weeks

December 16th, 2015 by Karen 43 Comments

So. Very. Pregnant.

That’s how I feel all day long now, all the time. So awkward and pregnant.

Baby Girl is 28 weeks along now! Yup, my li’l sidekick and I have been together for seven months, which to me is kind of unreal because, 1), where did all that time go? — and, 2), this is almost the home stretch (she’s due in early March)!

So, at the doctor’s office this week for my checkup, my doc did this old-school trick with a paper measuring tape to measure how many weeks along I am, but it was more for fun than seriousness because she’d already taken measurements with the sonogram.

With the paper measuring tape, though, she placed one end at the bottom of le bump, right at my pelvis, then took the tape up over my belly button (which is less of a belly button these days and more of a smooth belly spot, but I’ll get to that in a sec) and over my tum to the top of le bump, just below my breasts. Amazingly enough, the tape measured 28 inches, corresponding to 28 weeks along, so sometimes those old-school techniques still work!

Cool, huh?

So…fascinating thing about belly buttons and pregnancy, and I don’t know why this never occurred to me before, but when your tum expands to otherworldly proportions, it can push your belly button from an “innie” to an “outie.”

Yeah, hello, Captain Obvious! But I had no idea. And it seems to have happened, seriously, overnight. WHOA!

Mine’s still borderline innie…but that innie isn’t going to be an innie much longer.

Aaand, you wanna know something gross? Of course you do. 🙂 Over the course of all of this belly button outing, I’ve found stuff in there…like lint and a tiny ball of what might have been cat hair. Not sure.

I KNOW! So gross, but on the positive side, this is now the cleanest my belly button has ever been.

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