Karen

I’m a Girl Without Curl When I Wear L’Oreal’s Miss Manga Mascara

September 3rd, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

Based on the cuteness factor of the packaging, at the very least, I expected L’Oreal’s Miss Manga Mascara ($7.99) to grant me lashes that Jem and the Holograms would envy.

The pink and black tube? The bendy brush? The very name itself? — Miss Manga Mascara?

It would have been silly of me to have expected anything other than cartoony doe-eyed drama.

Loreal Miss Manga Mascara brush — See the joint on the wand just below the brush head? That’s where the wand flexes and bends (like one of those flexible straws)

L’Oreal’s latest mascara, Miss Manga is available now in three shades for $7.99 each. The one I’m wearing in the pics below is called 374 Blackest Black.

Now, this stuff is designed to create a very distinct lash look — thick, clumpy, kind of wet and glossy.

Not everyone’s cup of tea, and I can see why, as it’s a little costume-ish and not very natural.

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara before and after — L’Oreal Miss Manga Mascara, before and after

[Continue reading…]

Laura Mercier’s New High Coverage Concealer For Under Eye Disguises Dark Circles, But Demands Significant Elbow Grease

September 3rd, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Laura Mercier High Coverage Concealer For Under Eye in shade 4 — Wearing the new Laura Mercier High Coverage Concealer For Under Eye ($28) to cover up ye olde dreaded dark circles

If your current full-coverage under-eye concealer were a skimpy Brazilian-cut bikini, then Laura Mercier’s new High Coverage Concealer ($28 for a 0.27-oz. tube) would be a Victorian Era bathing costume, complete with skirt, bloomers, bonnet and shoes.

In other words, no skin be showin’ here, ma! Those dark circles will be covered-the-eff-up.

A recent addition to Laura’s permanent line, High Coverage is referred to as “three in one” by Team LM. It’s supposed to cover, de-puff and brighten under-eye circles, all at the same time, and it comes in 12 shades that correspond to the colors in Laura’s existing Secret Concealer range.

I had hoped to experience significant makeup nirvana testing High Coverage based on how much I’ve been loving the new Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation Laura released at the same time (one word: amazing), but to be honest, my feelings run hot and cold… My overall opinion depends on how psycho my skin is acting on any given day.

Annoying Dry Skin Issues: Chapter 1,576

My under-eye area is usually some degree of dry, from slightly dry to very, and when it’s very dry, High Coverage Concealer does not look cute.

Yes, it completely covers my dark circles, which is great, but the texture looks thick and heavy, and cracks appear around my fine lines.

It’s a different story, however, when my skin is behaving better (and I also jump through some extra hoops, which I’ll describe in a moment), in which case, High Coverage looks and works great. The cracking is kept to a minimum, and the texture looks natural.

Being somewhat dry and thick (it looks and feels like a thick paste, as opposed to a runny liquid), the formula is also pigmented — things that don’t often lend themselves to easy blending — so if you attempt to half-@ss the application, you could be in for a janky surprise (particularly if you have mature skin).

The way around it is to really get in there and do the work, and if you do, High Coverage can look lovely.

Here’s how I apply it

A drop the size of a pin head is enough, literally, to do both eyes. The back of the tube recommends dotting a bit on a fingertip and patting that beneath your eyes, but I tried that and wasn’t too crazy about the way it turned out. I thought it looked a little heavy…

Instead, I load a smidgen on the back of my hand, where I sheer it out using a synthetic tapered blending brush (you could use a brush with natural fibers for this, but I find that synthetic brush heads usually have stiffer bristles, which in this case handle the thick-ish formula better.)

[Continue reading…]

What Are Your Five All-Time Favorite Makeup/Beauty Products?

September 3rd, 2014 by Karen 64 Comments

My beloved bottle of MAC Pro Longwear Concealer gets a rubbery suit of armor…

Ouch, it’s the “all-time” part of the question that makes this one difficult. Do I go with the limited edition products that moved me to glittery tears (hello, Chanel Astral), or give love to my errr’day staples?

Hmm… I gotta go with the longer-term loves, the products I’ve worn every day, or almost every day, and rarely leave home without.

1. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer — Tricky to use, and the glass pump drives me batty, but I’ve yet to find a full-coverage under-eye concealer that works better for me (although theBalm’s Time Balm Concealer comes close).

2. MAC Face & Body — Easy to build up or sheer out, Face & Body is more flexible than my noodle arms after a yoga class, but more stable than a 200-year-old oak tree once you put it. Hands down, it’s my favorite foundation for dewy skin.

3. MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl — I kid you not; I have gone through seven or eight of these since discovering it in 2008, and my heart hurts a little every time I forget it at home when I leave the house. On the lower water line, this bad-@ss bronzy liner pencil is EVERYTHING. It brightens and opens the eyes wide, practically manga-style.

4. MAC Brun Eye Shadow — Brow filler, eye liner, smokey eye maker extraordinaire. Brun is a bonafide jack of all trades.

5. MAC Impassioned Lipstick — If our cruel alien/sentient computer overlords forced me to pick a single bright lipstick to wear for the rest of my life, I would pick Impassioned.

How about you? What are your five all-time favorite makeup/beauty products?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day. 🙂

The LORAC Pro Matte Lip Colors: When a Flat Matte Finish Won’t Do

September 2nd, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

LORAC Pro Matte Lip Colors from the left: Coral, Violet and Magenta

If you’re matte as hell, and you’re not gonna take it anymore! — and by “it,” I mean lipsticks with a flat matte finish, then check out LORAC’s line of long-wearing Pro Matte Lip Colors ($16 each).

Available in 12 shades that range from nude to vibrant, they’re super fancy-schmancy. They have a lovely, finessed matte finish that looks like a plush piece of expensive velvet, and a twist-up pencil tip that makes them easy to use for lining and filling in your lips.

The three I’ve tried — Coral, Violet and Magenta — easily last through drinks and snacks. Wear time is excellent.

Look for the Pro Matte Lip Colors now at LORAC counters and online.

LORAC Pro Matte Lip Color Swatches clockwise from the bottom: Magenta, Coral and Violet — Swatches clockwise from the bottom: Magenta, Coral and Violet

A Labor-Free Labor Day in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park

September 2nd, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

The Salmon Ochazuke at B Star Restaurant in San Francisco — The Salmon Ochazuke at B Star restaurant, 127 Clement St. in San Francisco

Yesterday I was in the mood to get out of dodge for a while, otherwise known as Novato, so we left Tabs in charge of the office and headed to the city.

We ended up in one of my favorite San Francisco neighborhoods, Clement Street in the Inner Richmond. I lived right around there when I worked in downtown SF, and I’ve always had a soft spot for the area (El Hub and I actually met for the very first time on the sidewalk in front of a great local bookstore on Clement St. called Green Apple). It’s a very old and diverse neighborhood, with lots of mom-and-pop stores and a big Asian population.

And a TON of great restaurants.

We were craving rice and turned to Yelp, which directed us to B Star restaurant’s Burmese-Asian fusion.

The Tuna Don from B Star Restaurant in San Francisco — El Hub had the Tuna Don.

Lychee Iced Tea at B Star — Lychee Iced Tea

After lunch and a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood, we zipped over to Golden Gate Park and Stow Lake, where we rented a paddle boat for an hour.

Incidentally, it was about a million times easier than the 4-hour kayaking adventure on Lake Tahoe last month, OMG!

If you’re ever in Golden Gate Park when the weather’s nice, oh! — you gotta try it. It’s easy enough for people of all ages (we even saw an older gentleman with a walker getting his paddle boat on), and they have boats for 2-6 people, as well as canoes (which are a little harder to maneuver).

A turtle chillin' on Stow Lake in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park — Turtle power! A hero in a half-shell…

Three LUSH Bestsellers Get a Makeover: Introducing the New Self-Preserving Dream Cream, Ocean Salt and Mask of Magnaminty

September 2nd, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Lush Ocean Salt — The new LUSH Self-Presrving Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub ($35.95 for an 8.8-oz jar), one of three newly reformulated LUSH best-sellers

Next time you happen to pass within 100 yards of a LUSH store and catch yourself breathing deeply of its fragrant aroma (“ah…”), I encourage you to follow your nose and stop by.

The company just reformulated a few of its most popular products, making them from hence forth “self-preserving.”

LUSH Dream Cream Hand and Body Lotion, Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub and Mask of Magnaminty Face and Back Pack are now all “self-preserving.”

New Lush Self-Preserving Products — The new LUSH Self-Preserving products

Lush Self-Preserving Ocean Salt — Self-Preserving Ocean Salt

Lush Self-Preserving Dream Cream — Self-Preserving Dream Cream

Lush Mask of Magnaminty — Self-Preserving Mask of Magnaminty

So — self-preserving — what does that actually mean?

Well, it’s LUSH lingo for “We reformulated a few of our bestselling products to make them more natural.”

LUSH removed the synthetic preservatives, which were already pretty minimal (small amounts of methylparaben and proplyparaben), according to LUSH product trainer Jeff Brown, and replaced them with preservatives that the average person can actually pronounce, like honey, clay, cocoa butter, vegetable glycerin and sea salt…and tofu (say wha?!).

They also reduced the water content in the products, which they did to discourage bacterial growth. Less water means less space for microorganisms to multiply.

Dream Cream is $26.95 for an 8.4-oz. jar; Ocean Salt is $21.95 for a 4.2-oz. jar and $35.95 for an 8.8-oz. jar; and Mask of Magnaminty is $12.95 for a 4.4-oz jar and $24.95 for a 11.1-oz. jar. All three products are available now at LUSH counters, stores and online at lushusa.com.

[Continue reading…]

Sonia Kashuk’s Chic Defining Contour Stick, a Near-Dupe for the NARS Cappadoce Matte Multiple, Saves Dollars While Defining Cheekbones

September 2nd, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

The new $10.99 Sonia Kashuk Chic Defining Stick

Ring-a-ling! Ring-a-ling!

I’ll get it! That’s the sound of the NARS dupe alert. 🙂

In this case, it’s chiming for Sonia Kashuk’s new $10.99 Chic Defining Contour Stick, a near dupe of my beloved (but MUCH more expensive) $39 NARS Cappadoce Matte Multiple.

Both baked golden brown cream sticks have a matte finish (here are swatches of NARS Cappadoce), and both of them can quickly sculpt cheekbones that would rival Johnny Depp’s circa the O.G. 21 Jump Street era.

Both of them are also easy to blend on bare skin or atop foundation — probably due to how lightweight and thin they are, which is great, because it keeps my skin from feeling like it’s suffocating under an inch of plaster.

Where the two differ, most obviously, is price ($10.99 versus $39), but also in the shape of the tip. The Multiple’s is huskier, wider and flatter, and it covers more surface area while sitting flush against the skin, whereas the tip on Sonia’s Chic Defining Stick has a slightly smaller (but still husky), rounded, more precise tip that seems to fit the space under my cheekbones a bit better.

Sonia Kashuk Chic Defining Stick Before and After — Sonia’s Chic Defining Stick on bare skin (just under-eye concealer, brow filler, mascara and gloss)

[Continue reading…]

How Old Were You When You Got Your First Makeover at a Counter? Tell Me About It.

September 2nd, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

The year was 1989.

Saved by the Bell was in its inaugural season (Zack and Kelly 4 ever!), and I was just a wee lass of 14, but because I was a freshman in high school, of course I thought I was all grown up and mature.

LOL!

Little did I know…

That fall my mom took me on my very first trip to a makeup counter. It was Clinique.

It’s one of my fondest makeup memories, and one of my favorite memories with my mom, because she’s never been a real makeup person at all, but she did it for me.

I was devouring teen magazines at the time and scouring them for makeup tips and stuff (oh, to live in the time before beauty blogs) when one day, on the drive to school, my mom asked me if I was interested in going to get some makeup.

Uh…of course I said yes. 🙂

So, that weekend we went to a Clinique counter at the Newpark Mall. I picked out a blush, an eyeshadow (’twas pink and blue… So late ’80s!), a lipstick and a foundation.

No mascara, though, because my mom deemed it “too mature.”

Not to be overly dramatic…but that trip kind of changed my life. Before that trip to the Clinique counter, I was forced to sneak and wear makeup on the down-low because my parents were very strict.

Finally, I didn’t have to sneak around anymore, and it was pure joy. The makeup floodgates opened. I could finally express myself without hiding.

Your turn! How old were you when you got your first makeover at a counter? Tell me about it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day, babe. Ours was nice. We spent the afternoon in the city at Golden Gate Park, and I did something new, too. El Hub and I rented a paddleboat and tooled around Stow Lake, which I don’t remember ever even seeing before (and I lived right next to the park for a couple years!). It was quite a fun day.