unsungheroes

Unsung Makeup Heroes: e.l.f. Solid Sponge Cleanser

October 9th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

What’s an unsung hero in beauty-speak? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup (or polish!) morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. My long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

If you’ve been visiting MBB for a while now, you might already know that my ride-or-die makeup brush cleanser has been good ol’ Dr. Bronner’s solid soap for years; however, one thing that drives me crazy and has always driven me crazy about Dr. B’s is that once you use that white bar, it never looks anywhere near as pristine as it did when you first opened it, and it ends up looking dirty and gross in the soap dish…

The part of me that’s morphing into a lady who only wears muumuus and yells at kids on her lawn does not like this, which is why I bought the e.l.f. Solid Sponge Cleanser. It’s black, so you can’t see any dirt on it, which I adore. Plus, it works crazy well. Even your jankiest brushes will sparkle quicker than you can say, “GET OFF MY LAWN.”

elf solid sponge cleanser review — Ahhh!

This soap is made to clean makeup sponges like Beautyblenders and whatnot, but you can also use it on natural and synthetic fiber makeup brushes. It foams up in a hummingbird’s heartbeat, and then BAM! — cuts through whatever’s in your bristles. Then it rinses out with just a few splashes of water. When I leave my brushes out to air dry, the next time I use them, they feel soft, not crunchy, and they smell kinda minty… I wonder if that has something to do with the charcoal they added to the soap, which is supposed to have anti-bacterial properties).

Hmm…

Dare I say that it works faster Dr. B’s?! ?

Oh, and P.S., it’s only $4, bargain hunters. I get mine at Target.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Essie Clothing Optional

August 29th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

essie clothing optional swatch — I may or may not be wearing pants.

What’s an unsung hero in beauty-speak? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup (or polish!) morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. My long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

It’s that time of year again! (At least here in the Bay Area.). Around the end of August and into early September, the weather here is cray. One day it’ll be 95 degrees, and you’re barely clothed on the way to the pool, and the next day you’re wearing long pants and a sweater to meet a friend for coffee.

It’s that weird weather transitional phase between summer and fall. I feel like that’s a space in the land of nail polish, too, and this color by Essie called Clothing Optional is the perfect color for that in-between phase when you may or may not want to wear super bright summery corals and neons, and you’re also still not ready to dive into Bordeaux, navy and oxblood.

Essie describes it as a sienna brown, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a rad, rich, almost rosy taupe, and from some angles it looks like brick.

And I think it’s a completely different beast in full sunlight, when I’d swear it’s a pinkish peachy brown with microshimmer (but the light has to hit it just right for that to come through).

It’s quite the ? chameleon; I love it.

I also love that even though it’s capable of functioning as a nude nail, especially if you have a tan like I do, it contrasts enough with the skin to be eye-catching and noticeable. It’s not like when I’m wearing a nail polish that just blends into my skin tone.

Sometimes I like being able to see my nails when they’re painted, but I also don’t want to be distracted by them, if that makes sense…especially when I have something like a meeting to go to.

Clothing Optional is perfect for showing that you pay attention to small details, like getting your nails done, but your fingers won’t be distracting to the people you’re chatting with, especially if you talk with your hands a lot like I do.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Burnt Spice

April 25th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

mac burnt spice — Why do I keep smiling like a coy piano teacher? I do not know.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Burnt Spice… That name always cracks me up. I picture the (hopefully it didn’t actually happen, and if it did, I’m sorry) rejected member of the Spice Girls who got cut at the last minute and therefore did not experience worldwide fame and fortune. She still holds a grudge against Baby, Sporty, Scary, Posh and Ginger…

LOL.

Matte rosy brown Burnt Spice MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour adds just enough color to my face without overwhelming whatever else is going on, and it superbly complements smoky and winged eye looks IMO. And bright blush.

It reads as a nude on my NC42 skin #nudelipsforlife #nudelipsforever and may look more lusciously brown and dramatic if you’re a lighter lass.

mac burnt spice swatch — MAC Burnt Spice

MAC’s liquid lipsticks are some of my favorites out there because they don’t make my lips peel or crack. I thought I was the only person who was all about them for that reason, but nope! I was texting with my friend Jen, who’s really not even a hardcore makeup person like you and I are, a few weeks ago, and she said that she loves Topped With Brandy. The Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours are the only liquid lipstick formula that doesn’t dry out her lips, and I was like, “Me, too!” And when a liquid lipstick formula can ignite zeh passion in someone who’s only marginally interested in makeup, you know it’s good.

That was my long-winded way of saying it isn’t drying. ?

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Bamboom Paint

September 14th, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

mac bamboom paint

No one ever tells you about this stuff. Not your teachers in school, not the makeup artists at the MAC counter, no one. But I’m telling you from experience — if you don’t stay alert, don’t pay attention and recognize the signs, it can happen to you.

Looking back on it now, I should have seen the signs, but I always just assumed that my favorite MAC brown eyeshadows were snug and secure and safe at the bottom of my makeup bag.

I thought they were happy… How was I supposed to know?

The first signs of trouble surfaced one morning when I set golden brown Soba and orangey Soft Brown on the counter to use in a smokey eye.

I could sense they were upset about something. They looked…lonely, so I asked, “What’s wrong, guys?”

“We need a buddy,” they whined, both on the verge of tears, “like, I don’t know, a color that combines the best of both of our shades.”

They told me how they felt that something was missing in their lives. “If it were a cream shadow instead of a powder,” they said, “you could even layer us on top of it.”

And then the sobbing started…

Have you ever heard your MAC brown eyeshadows cry? In a word: heartbreaking.

Right then I knew I had to find a way to lift their spirits, so I hopped in my car and drove to the nearest MAC counter.

Frantically, I swiped and swatched, looking for the right friend for my shadows. Sh*t was about to hit the fan when I picked up a tube of Bamboom.

mac bamboom paint

“Eureka!” I roared in the middle of Macy’s. I held the tube of MAC Paint in Bamboom ($18.50) aloft like a flaming sword! “Where have you been all my life?!”

There it was — a color that combined a creamy formula with the golden brown color and satiny finish of MAC Soba, and the warm, orangey tones of Soft Brown.

I rushed home.

mac bamboom swatch
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Sublime Nature Paint

September 10th, 2012 by Karen 29 Comments

mac sublime nature paint

I have a big crush on beige…

…MAC beige eyeshadows like Brule, Shroom, Bare Study, Soft Ochre and Sweet Satisfaction.

It’s a crush that borders on an obsession, coupled with symptoms of hoarding, LOL!

And I don’t expect to be breaking up with beige anytime soon, not with products like MAC Paint in Sublime Nature out there to tempt me.

More workhorse than thoroughbred, this mid-toned beige cream eyeshadow ($18.50) might not have the flash or pizzaz of a bright teal or purple, but given have the chance, it can do great things for your lids. 🙂

Before there were MAC Paint Pots, there were MAC Paints. Yup, they’re old school. Picture a Paint Pot in a tube, and you’ve got something like a MAC Paint, except softer and fluffier, which I think makes them easier to spread on lids. Coming in a tube makes them ideal for travel, and I’ve always liked how lightweight they feel (lighter than a Paint Pot, I think). For fast, easy eye looks, I usually apply them with fingers.

Sublime Nature is like a perfect pair of boots that goes with almost everything. Sometimes I’ll layer it beneath brights to crank up their intensity (try it with MAC Club sometime!), or wear it with neutrals when I want to look professional.

Lately, I’ve been wearing it as a base with MAC Sable Eyeshadow layered on my lids and MAC Prunella eyeliner on my lash and water lines. Simple, refined and easy. Yes, yes, yes.

mac sublime nature paint
I know it looks small in its tube, but a little goes a long way!

mac sublime nature paint and bare canvas swatches
Sublime Nature Paint on the left and Bare Canvas Paint Pot on the right
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Face and Body Foundation

September 7th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

mac face and body foundation

While there are many things I’ll miss about the world after the coming zombie apocalypse — hot showers, modern dentistry and Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts among them — few losses will be missed as much as MAC Face and Body Foundation, one of my much-loved creature comforts.

I can’t imagine life in the badlands without it…

This sheer-to-medium coverage liquid foundation is just one of those fantastic MAC performers ($33 for the 4-ounce bottle above), and it’s the only foundation I’ve been wanting to wear these days.

mac face and body foundation bottle

Yesterday morning while walking Tabs outside on his leash, we saw that the leaves have started to turn yellow and fall from the trees. There’s also a new chill in the air early in the mornings.

Yup, it’s fall. Or darn near. And now that it is, I feel like it’s time for a more dressed up face look — something less dewy and casual than my spring and summer routine with NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer.

mac face and body foundation swatch
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Prunella Eye Kohl

September 3rd, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

mac prunella

Tabs has won a number of prestigious awards over the years, like the one he frequently cites in his email signature, “Winner of People magazine’s 2010 World’s Sexiest Tabby award,” but ya know, I’ve won a few awards of my own.

World’s Sexiest Tabby, 2010

No, not for my groundbreaking research in cat phrenology. My awards have typically been for less…influential endeavors, like my last place award in the 2007 Amateur Karaoke Championships (Western Division).

What a joke, too. That was supposed to be my year…

I’d planned to sing Easy Lover by Phil Collins, a song I knew like the back of my hand, but replaced it with Maria from West Side Story at the last minute.

It was an unorthodox move, to be sure, but a gamble that I felt confident would pay off in the end.

Wrong. I thought that with so many other entrants also singing Phil Collins songs, I’d pull ahead, but then I screwed up the lyrics to the song…

In the song, when I should have been emoting, “Mah-ree-ahh, Mah-ree-ahh, Mah-reee-ahhhhh,” my brain short-circuited, and I sang “Pru-nella, Pru-nella, Pru-nellaaah” into the microphone instead.

Prunella, like the name of today’s unsung makeup hero, the $15 MAC Eye Kohl in Prunella.

Seriously, how was I to know that this shimmery, blackish plum would infiltrate my psyche at such an inopportune moment? 🙂

mac prunella swatch
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MAC Unsung Heroes: The 239 Eye Shader Brush

August 31st, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush

I can’t believe I haven’t unsung the heroic MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush yet!

Weird! — considering how much I love it. I’m even thinking about getting a second one to go with the first. That way, I could reserve one for powders and one for creams.

Heck, while I’m at it, might as well get a third (strictly for blending, of course).

No, no, I guess one is enough… It’s just a brush, after all.

Or is it? 🙂

A medium-sized flat eyeshadow brush with gloriously soft goat hair fibers packed into a firm, dense head with a rounded shape, the $25 MAC 239 is capable of a multitude of makeup tasks, from applying and blending eyeshadows (loose and pressed powders, and creams), to highlighting beneath my brows, lining my eyes and adding color into the outer V and inner corners.

I have a handful of brushes from other brands that by all appearances, look like the MAC 239, but that’s where the similarities end.

The size of the 239’s brush head is like my favorite part of the Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, juuuust right. Not too big, not too small. It covers a fairly wide area on my lid, and yet is small enough to fit into the inner and outer corners of my eyes, and directly below my lashes.

It’s like getting a bunch of different brushes in one!
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