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

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

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

The Hourglass Foundation/Blush Brush No. 2: A Brush With Greatness (Too Bad It Also Brushes Budgets Aside)

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hourglass foundation blush brush no 2 closeup

Before I left for Tahoe this morning, I triple-checked to make sure that my Hourglass Foundation/Blush Brush No. 2 was snug as a bug in a rug in my makeup bag.

I wasn’t taking any chances…not with a tool as terrific as this.

A medium-sized face brush with a round, domed head and synthetic fibers made of high-grade Takelon, this $58 beast is one of my top tools because of something it doesn’t do, instead of something it does.

So…I know, $58 is a lot of tacos, but this brush never, ever streaks. It delivers a smooth, even, flawless finish every single time. If you’re looking for that airbrushed look, the No. 2 is your gal.

I think I may have mentioned it a few times before…

Okay, more than a few, LOL!

hourglass foundation blush brush no 2 product shot

I love this brush so much that it’s one of the products on my “can’t leave home without it” list, both because of how useful it is, and because it’s the only foundation brush I’ve ever used (and I’ve used quite a few) that never, ever sheds.

Never sheds nor streaks? That’s not bad.

I used the No. 2 throughout the summer to apply my foundation and tinted moisturizer, and not once did I have to pick bristles off my face.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Greensmoke Eyeshadow

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mac greensmoke

It’s time, friend…

Time to clap our hands and stomp our feet! Time to raise our hands to the sky and testify to the dawn of a new era! — the season of smokey eyes!

Oh, fall… You make me so sad when you shoo summer away, but then your cool, crisp winds give me an excuse to bust out my MAC Greensmoke Eyeshadow ($15), one of my favorites for smokey eyes.

MAC describes it as a tarnished olive, but Greensmoke is so much more than that.

On my NC42 skin, I get a smokey, grayish khaki with flashes of golden pearl and flecks of silver glitter. It’s a complex color, and one I can’t recall seeing duped by anyone else.

Packing it my lids or applying it with a wet brush brings out more of the golden pearl and greenish tones, while buffing it coaxes out more of Greensmoke’s gray.

For a different, and wonderfully complex, take on smokey eyes, I’ll apply Tarnished Eye Kohl as a base all over my lids, layer Greensmoke on top (I keep wanting to type “Gunsmoke”), and then buff out the edges.

mac greensmoke

mac greensmoke swatch
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A Quick Eye Makeup Tip for Exhausted Pet Assistants and Other People With PAWS

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eye makeup tip for brighter eyes

According to the International Association of Professional Pet Assistants (IAPPA), PAWS, or Pet Assistant Weariness Syndrome, afflicts 63% of pet assistants, myself included.

International Association of Professional Pet AssistantsMore often than not, it goes undiagnosed, and there’s also a stigma attached to it. Many people with PAWS live in fear, not wanting to be the targets of ridicule.

But admitting that you have PAWS is the first step to recovery…

When my PAWS flares up, and I’m feeling really run down, I like to take a small amount of concealer, usually in the same shade that I’ve been using lately to cover my dark circles (MAC Select Moisturecover in NW25), which is a few shades lighter than my natural skin color, and apply it along the base of my brows with a pencil brush like the MAC 219.

(SIDE NOTE: You could also use a concealer in crayon clothing, like the new Rouge Bunny Rouge Concealers, for this trick and apply it directly with the crayon.)

Applied along the base of the brow, the lighter concealer color appears to lift the arch, making the eye seem brighter and more alert.

eye makeup tip for brighter eyes

As long as I’m careful to blend away any visible edges with a finger, the effect is so subtle that my boss rarely even realizes what I’ve done, and when I look more awake, I usually feel a little more awake, which is great for my PAWS. 🙂

But it’s not a cure. As long as my employer continues to regularly send me on midnight gravy runs, I’ll continue to suffer from PAWS…

tabs looking extra grumpy
I don’t remember saying that you could take a break.
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Legions of Lip Liner Lovers Look to Laura Mercier Lip Pencils for Smooth, Creamy Color

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laura mercier coffee bean
Wearing Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Coffee Bean

Freaks. Crazies. Zealots.

Those who don’t understand often refer to us by those terms…

No matter. At some point — and it’s usually when you find yourself laughing hysterically while clutching two handfuls of lip liners and foaming at the mouth — you realize THIS IS WHO I AM! laura mercier lip pencil shades

I am the lipstick lovin’ girl who finds the prospect of a fresh crop of fall lip liners to wear with rich reds, plums and browns even more thrilling than watching Ryan Gosling bust out the Dirty Dancing moves.

Yes, strangers accuse me of radical lip liner love. Do they have a point? Absolutely. But I don’t think it’s fair to call me an addict, per se.

More like a devoted practioner. A lip liner champion. A fighter for lined lips everywhere!

The latest addiction addition to my list of loves? — these two new members of the Laura Mercier Lip Liner permanent line ($20 each).

The shades I’ve been switching back and forth between — True Red and Coffee Bean — are two of seven new pencils in the line. The others are Carnation, Crushed Berry, Deep Wine, Praline and Warm Poppy.

I love the way warm True Red works with NARS Heatwave lipstick and MAC Lady Danger, and Coffee Berry, a rich brown, pairs perfectly with MAC Paramount.

laura mercier lip pencil

laura mercier lip pencil swatches
Coffee Bean on the left and True Red on the right
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Becca Cosmetics Now Available at Sephora

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BECCA at sephora

Just a quick heads-up for the Becca fans. The makeup line is now available online at Sephora.com.

The selection’s pretty limited, but the brand plans to add more items in the future. 🙂

If you’re hungry for recommendations, you may want to check out the following…

I tweeted the gals at Becca to ask if the brand’s products will also be available in-stores, and from this tweet it sounds like all signs point to yes.

Becca’s been a little hard to track down over the last few years, so I’m so very, very excited about this!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer: This Bunny Is Light on (Faces and) Its Feet

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Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer Review

El Hub: Sweetie, are you okay? Why are you crying?

Me: I’m not crying. My eyes are just watery.

El Hub: Are you sure, babe? I think those might be tears.

Me: If I tell you, you’ll think I’m silly.

El Hub: I promise not to think you’re silly.

Me: I dunno… I was just about to chat with the gals on the blog about this new Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Concealer, and then I started thinking about its velvety texture, and so I took out The Velveteen Rabbit and re-read it, and now I can’t stop crying.

I mean, when the Velveteen Rabbit becomes real at the end…?

FREAKING PMS!

El Hub: It’s okay. Put down the concealer for a second, and I’ll go get you Charmie and make you a cup of ice cream. I think we have some Three Twins Sea Salt Caramel in the freezer…

Me: (Sniffs) Really?

El Hub: You’ll feel better after you take a break, and then you can talk to your friends about makeup. I know that always makes you feel better.

Me: (Sniffs) Alright… 🙂

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer swatches
Swatches from the left: Thalia 045, Eunice 046 and Clio 047

Rouge Bunny Rouge Naked Disguise Glide Concealer Box
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