crazy about creams

Crazy About Creams! Clarins Creams

January 30th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

Just to clarify, this is a joke:

And this is NOT a joke:

(Side note: Thank you, Internet, for making me ? laugh every single day.)

I’d be remiss to not include my favorite face creams in this series, and… —–> these babies by Clarins ARE NOT PLAYIN’. I always keep at least one jar around because whenever my combo skin starts feeling tight and dry and painful and just plain WEIRD, Clarins is there to rescue me, man. I dab a little on my skin (you don’t need a lot, thank goodness, because these jars, while decently sized, are still expensive), and my tight spots always feel instantly better.

French luxe line Clarins has been around forever, and while the brand may not be as buzzy as Drunk Elephant or Glossier at the moment, I know I can always count on their marvelously moisturizing creams to NOT break me out — and, seriously, EVERYTHING makes me break out.
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Crazy About Creams! Say Hi to MAC Pro Face Palette Blush

January 23rd, 2019 by Karen 19 Comments

mac pro face palette bright blush — Oh, ya know, just some Casual Colour with the $40 MAC Pro Face Palette: Bright Blush.

I know I’ve mentioned the MAC Casual Colours before. They’re brilliant. They’re creamy. They’ve popped up in limited collections before (Beth Ditto, Mia Moretti and Diane Kendall, to name a few). You can wear them on your cheeks and lips, and now MAC has them in three options — Bright Blush, Deep Blush and Light Blush.

To this, all I have to say is YES.

mac pro face palette deep blush — MAC Pro Face Palette: Deep Blush ($40)

Well, obvs, that’s not all I have to say, ha! 🙂 Hello, my name is Karen, and my ability to get straight to the point is questionable.

I will also say this: If you’re a makeup lover who likes fresh, shiny cheeks and plump, juicy lips, you’ll probably appreciate Casual Color’s semi-glossy finish and creamy texture.

These palettes are a go-to when I’m wearing a sheer base (bare skin, BB or CC cream, or a tinted moisturizer), because the semi-glossy finish goes well with minimal coverage.

The trick is to gently tap-tap-tap the tiniest amount (either with your fingers or a stippling brush) you can get away with because these creams are very concentrated. You only need the most minimal of minimal amounts.

Once you figure out how little you can get away with, you’ll be rewarded with surprisingly good wear time. I get about five hours on my cheeks and three on my lips.

mac pro face palette swatches — Arm status: NC42

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Crazy About Creams! Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Not Just Nudes

January 22nd, 2019 by Karen 19 Comments

revlon not just nudes 1 — Revlon Not Just Nudes

First of all, I’m shocked I haven’t already tried this Revelon palette, since I’m such a fan of their individual cream shadows in the pots (Chocolate or Espresso, anyone?!). I have to thank the trauma of my last visit to the dentist for this spur-of-the-moment retail therapy purchase!

Illuminance Creme Shadow in Not Just Nudes ($7.99) comes in a slim, trim plastic package with a mirror on one side and four neutral cream shadows on the other. It’s a lineup of coordinating colors with a glossy finish to illuminate yo’ lids.

revlon not just nudes k — Revlon Not Just Nudes

You know that high fashion/editorial glossy lid look? This does that, but without the thickness, heaviness or major creasing (I do see some minor creasing after a few hours, but not a lot).

revlon not just nudes swatches — Revlon Not Just Nudes

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Crazy About Creams! The Chantecaille Mermaid Eye Mattes

January 17th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes 1 — Hello, my pretties.

One of these freakin’ days, man… One of these days after I’ve finally squatted my way to a J. Lo booty (please pause while I send up a short prayer to the booty gods), I’m gonna pop-pop-pop that thing whenever I wear the matte Chantecaille Cream Shadows, because they’re worthy of a booty pop or two. Or 12.

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes swatches — Say what, Karen? You’re an NC42 for reference? NO WAY!

Unfortunately, they have a pearl-clutching price of $34 for a 0.14-oz. jar, which, I know! — so expensive — but if it’s any consolation, French brand Chantecaille has been doing high-end clean beauty since before it was trendy, and with these pots (I use Silvie, Bee and Olivia), I do think you get what you pay for. These things make my lids smoooooooth.

Mind you, these are still cream shadows, so they aren’t a Christmas miracle. Technically, yes, my ~~wrinkles~~ experience lines are definitely still there, but whenever I wear these I find myself wondering where the heck my fine lines went! Trust me, you won’t be mad about it.

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes k — I’m wearing Bee on my lids, Sylvie in my crease and a touch of Olivia on the inner lids. The bronzer/blush is Hourglass Illume in Sunset, and the lip is NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Pencil in Sin.

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Crazy About Creams! Hourglass Illume Sheer Color Trio in Sunset

January 16th, 2019 by Karen 23 Comments

hourglass illume sunset trio — OH, HAI, GORGEOUS!

First, happy hump day to ya. Second, here are a couple fun facts about the $62 Hourglass Illume Trio in Sunset (you know, to get you ready for Makeup Final Jeopardy!).

Like the name implies, it’s a trio. It has a cream bronzer, a blush and a highlighter, and the first time it launched was back in 2010 (my gosh, have I really been writing about makeup that long?). Back then, it was only a duo, and it was $40 instead of $62. It came with just a cream blush and a bronzer in some fun-kay packaging. It had a different logo and this huge swivel mirror that you could turn 360 degrees around.

hourglass illume sunset trio swatches — The trio on medium tan, warm skin. For reference, I’m an NC42 in MAC.

The new version looks totally different on the outside (no more cray-cray mirror), and now that it’s a trio, it also comes with the cream highlighter.

Quality-wise, I think the trio is just as good as the O.G. duo, and yes, I still have one of the original duos because I am Marie Kondo’s freakin’ nightmare, and I’ve kept it around ~~because I’m a hoarder~~.

What can I say? I don’t use it anymore…although I probably could. It doesn’t smell or look funny (which is my totally unscientific way of determining if I need to throw something out).

hourglass illume sunset trio k — Cheeeeeeeks!

Anyway, the colors in the current trio version are similar to the colors in the O.G. one. You get the same medium peach blush and warm golden bronze, but now you also get a pearly golden beige highlighter.
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Crazy About Creams! NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color

January 15th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

Hey, man, if you’re looking to break your neutral eyeshadow addiction, I 100% can’t help you there. Sorry ~~not sorry~~ to say that the NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Colors ($24) will just throw metaphorical makeup gas on the neutral ? fire, because hello glowing gold, bronze, beige and taupe!

I’m crazy about these creams. They’re smooth enough to spread on toast! They’re like buttah, baby! Once they set, which takes about 30 seconds, you can pretty much forget about touching up for the rest of the day. They’re the creamiest, longest-lasting eyeshadow pencils I own.

nudestix magnetic eye color swatches — Swatches of my favorite shades

Every time I wear one, I wonder if I should just ditch powder eyeshadows completely. Being able to practically paint by numbers and apply shadow with a pencil tip is so much less hit or miss than applying shadow with a brush, since you know EXACTLY where the color’s going, and you’re in complete control. And when you have a hooded lid situation, precise placement is everything.

nudestix magnetic eye color 2 — Why, yes, I’ll have a cup.

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Crazy About Creams! MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot

January 9th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

mac groundwork indianwood paint pot — Long-time loves of my cream eyeshadow life

Waxing philosophical about my favorite MAC cream shadows in a series called “Crazy About Creams” is the right and proper thing to do because I am, indeed, crazy about the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots.

I almost can’t believe I’m saying this because I remember when I fell in love with them in the mid-Triassic Period (It was actually the Fafi collection in 2008, so it’s been — GULP — more than a decade!) The Paint Pots are staples in my MAC collection, and I restock them ALL. THE. FREAKIN’. TIME.

They’re $22 cream shadows that come in a glass pot, and you can wear them by themselves or layered with other products.

If you have fine lines on your lids like a vertically challenged beauty blogger/cat lady we know, they’re lovely because you can get a lot of color on your lids with them (or a little if you sheer them out) without losing a natural skin-like texture. The Paint Pots are just pure color without any thickness or heaviness.

My favorite way to wear them is on their own, and they last all day long for me — yes, even without eye primer.

Obviously, since the Paint Pots are creams, you can use your fingers to apply them, but I prefer brushes because they’re more precise.

For simple, fast, fresh looks, the Paint Pots are great. I’ll start by laying down the shadow where I want it using a flat brush before buffing out the edges with a tapered blending brush. Then I’ll do a little liner, then mascara, then brows (of course!), and I’m done, which is what I did for these pics where I’m wearing Groundwork in my crease and Indianwood on my lids.

Also, if I’m feeling up to it, I’ll dab a small amount of face highlighter on my brow bone and in the inner corners to make my eyes look bigger and less hooded.

Never underestimate how much a little highlighter on those two areas can open up your eyes.

The Paint Pots come in a bunch of neutrals shades, and I’m wearing my faves here. Groundwork is a matte taupe, and I use it to sculpt my crease so that my eyes look deeper set. Indianwood is a golden bronze with shimmer, and it’s perfect for a sheer wash on the lids.

Both Groundwork and Indianwood, incidentally, go perfectly with MAC Coffee Eye Pencil.

Oh, and here are two pro tips! Store your paint pots upside down to keep them from drying out (you can also see the names more easily), and if you’ve had a Paint Pot for a while and discover one day that it’s dry (like if you can see the edges of the cream pulling away from the jar), you can revive it by swirling a drop or two of your favorite face oil in the pot with a brush.

Then you can buff that brush loaded with your Paint Pot and oil mix on your lids for a sheer wash of color.
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Crazy About Creams! Honest Beauty Creme Cheek Blush

January 7th, 2019 by Karen 14 Comments

honest beauty creme cheek blush swatches final — Affordable and long-lasting!

BRRR! You guys…it’s so cold! ⛄

I know that that must sound mildly hilarious coming from a ☀️ Californian, but seriously, there’s a big difference between Northern California and Southern California. Here in NorCal, it gets almost freezing…

Hardy-har-har, yes, I know that 37 degrees isn’t arctic, but let me tell ya, it’s been so cold in the mornings that my butt bones, my teeth and even my eyebrows are cold!

Now, you’re probably thinking, “DUDE, why are we talking about the weather??” Well, because — gotcha! — cream makeup makeup, i.e. eyeshadow, cream blush, foundation, what have you. When the temperature drops, cream products come in extra handy because they tend to last longer when you aren’t sweating buckets.

Truth be told, though, I’m an all-year-round cream product junkie because I like how smooth they look on my skin (unlike powder), and I’ve been all about cream everything since I hit 40.

That said, the theme this month on MBB is “Crazy About Creams,” and I’ve been wearing today’s guests of honor off and on for more than a month. They’re the Honest Beauty Creme Cheek Blushes.

I’ve been using two of the four shades — a coral pink and a wine — and both are sheer-ish, so they’re natural looking. Plus, the satin finish goes well with any number of foundation finishes, including velvet, matte, satin and even dewy finishes. It’s all good.

The shades are also super affordable at $12.99, although you’d think you were working with a $32 Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge or a $29 Laura Mercier Cheek Cream), and beyond the awesome price, these have something else elevating them beyond the average cream blushes, and that’s longevity. They actually stay where they belong and don’t pull a disappearing act halfway through the day.

If the MAC Cream Colour Bases work well on your cheeks, you’ll probably also like these because they feel very similar. Just like you can with the CCBs, when you pick this up from a pan with a fingertip or a sponge, you can grab a good amount, even though they’re somewhat dry (as in not wet) for a cream. They apply creamy, even and smooth, even around dry spots.

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