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

Lips Are in for a Rouge Awakening: The Magically Moisturizing Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks Feel Like Feathers and Last All Day Long

July 24th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

Wearing Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Muse on my lips

Well, geez — and you thought destroying those Horcruxes was hard. That was a cakewalk compared to this!

Have I ever told you about my quest to find a matte, long-wearing liquid lipstick that doesn’t dry out my lips? If you have a minute, it’s a pretty good story — a story filled with sorcery, science and more flakes than a big bowl of Special K cereal.

It all started with my poor, dry lips…

You see, they’ve always been insatiably thirsty. They crave moisture like a husky cat craves gravy, and almost every liquid matte lipstick I’ve ever tried has left them chapped and flaky.

It got so bad a few times that not even Tabs would kiss me. 🙁 And I came to assume that I’d need supernatural assistance.

What I wanted was a moisturizing liquid lipstick that I could just slip on after breakfast and not have to fuss with for the rest of the day, and then one day, out of the blue, I came across the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks ($28 each, and new for fall 2012).

hourglass opaque rouge liquid lipstick
From top to bottom: Canvas, Raven, Ballet and Muse

These pricey pretties kinda rock, and they weren’t even at the end of a rainbow! 🙂 Unscented and unflavored, they last an impressive 10 hours for me (although Hourglass claims they can last up to 14). They come in nine profoundly pigmented shades with a lightweight liquid formula and a non-sticky texture, and best of all, they don’t leave my lips looking like they’ve been through a cheese grater, score!

So, does it take a degree in the dark arts to conjure up a matte, long-wearing liquid lipstick loaded with moisture? Nope. Hourglass turned to the wonders of science to create advanced polymers, long chains of molecules made up of many smaller molecules strung together.

Just apply Opaque Rouge to clean, bare lips (it’s best not to be wearing any oils or balms; otherwise, the lipstick won’t take). Then, wait about a minute for the product to set.

The polymers bind to create a pigmented elastic film that prevents moisture from escaping, as skin-conditioning emollients, fruit extracts and viamins A, C and E make the moisturizing more effective.

Moisturizing and beautiful?

I also love the intense colors and velvety matte finish, which doesn’t look flat, harsh or stark to me.

hourglass opaque rouge swatches
Swatches from the left: Canvas, Ballet, Muse and Raven

hourglass opaque rouge liquid lipstick in ballet
Ballet
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Take Your Nude Lip Looks to the Next Level With This Quick Makeup Tip

July 24th, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

lip makeup tip

I realize I look a little crazy-pants in this pic, but there is a method to my madness, LOL!

Talking about Big Baby Plushglass yesterday reminded me of one of my favorite makeup tricks for nude lip looks.

After I finish applying concealer under my eyes, I take the leftover product on my brush, and run it across my lips. The thin layer of concealer evens out my natural lip color and creates a blank canvas for nude lip liners, lipsticks or glosses applied on top. It also allows more of the nude lip color to show through.

If you have very pigmented lips, and nude lip glosses like Big Baby look almost like clear glosses on your kisser, this little tip can really help bring out the nude in nude lip colors.

Here I’m wearing MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW 25, which I also use under my eyes (I’m usually an NC, but I think the peachy tones in this NW shade offset the blues and purples in my dark circles — a trick I learned from a friendly MAC makeup artist), topped with Big Baby Plushglass, a plumping peach gloss with pink and white pearl.

lip makeup tip
A thin layer of concealer…

lip makeup tip
Then a layer of Big Baby!
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Tom Ford Beauty Flush Blush

July 24th, 2012 by Karen 4 Comments

YUM! Tom Ford Beauty Blush in Flush, $55. Available now at Neiman Marcus stores and online at neimanmarcus.com.

Mommy’s Right Here, Tabby Cat

July 23rd, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

Tabs taking an early evening walk with El Hub. I was on the deck taking pics of my echinacea plant (it’s blooming again) when I heard him meowing for me down below.

MAC Unsung Heroes: Big Baby Plushglass

July 23rd, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

MAC Big Baby Plushglass

I wonder if it might be possible to become physically addicted to a lipgloss.

You never know, right? If this were the X-Files and we were all part of some complex makeup conspiracy involving shell corporations and the alien colonization of earth, I wouldn’t be surprised.

I only bring it up because I think I may actually be addicted to the subject of today’s Unsung Heroes post, MAC Big Baby Plushglass.

The Plushglasses are MAC’s $19.50 line of plumping glosses, and they tingle a little when they touch your lips.

It’s not painful, but I bet you’ll notice. I sure do. It’s a little like kissing pins and needles, or the feeling of spicy food, and like spicy food, which they say can be addictive, maybe that’s why I’m hooked on this sheer peach Plushglass with its pink and white pearl.

Each time I swipe Big Baby on my lips, I’m alive, ALIVE! I get a rush, almost like that time I jumped out of a plane…except without the part where I fell hundreds of feet per second toward the earth.

I start to feel the tingling, which lasts about 10 minutes, a minute or so after applying, and you know what? I think it does make my lips a little plumper (just a hair).

As for the color now? Oh, the color… I LOVE IT! Picture this: a sheerer, and slightly cooler color-toned, MAC Nymphette Lipglass without the golden shimmer, and being a little cooler than Nymphette, I think it works with an even wider range of eye looks, from cool to warm.

mac big baby plushglass

mac big baby plushglass swatch
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Easy on the Eyes: A Quick Eye Makeup Look Starring Bronze and Brown

July 23rd, 2012 by Karen 54 Comments

A bronze and brown eye tutorial

Oh, did I tell you? Last weekend I did a marathon…text message session about makeup with my friend Jen. 🙂

Jen’s a busy new mom with a full-time job. She hasn’t been too adventurous with her makeup for the past few years — mostly just mascara and gloss — but she wants to start playing a little more now and asked me for some easy eye makeup ideas. Nothing fancy, just simple looks she could wear to work or to dinner with her hubby.

When she described the overall look she was going for as, “natural with a kick,” that got me thinking… It might be fun to make a series out of this. Just some really easy eye makeup looks to get you pretty, polished and out the door.

If you’re a busy mom like Jen, a student heading back to school this fall, or anyone looking for a few more quick eye makeup ideas, hopefully the brief tutorials I’ll be sharing over the next few days can help.

So, what does “natural with a kick” mean? Well, for me it means a look that’s one step above a no-makeup makeup look, like something where you can definitely tell that you’re wearing makeup, but it doesn’t look anywhere near as done up as a full-blown Kim Kardashian smokey eye.

The colors I think of for looks like these are usually soft daytime neutrals, bronzes, browns and khakis with matte, sheen and shimmer finishes. Nothing too crazy at all. Just a simple, pretty look with very few products and a wee bit o’ blending.

Today’s eye look is super easy, too. It’s a soft and shimmery eye with bronze and brown, and it only takes about 10 minutes.

I’m mostly using MAC products here, but if you have any similar shades from different brands, feel free to substitute.

bronze and brown eye tutorial products
From the left: MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush, MAC 266 Small Angle Brush, MAC 217 Blending Brush, MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, MAC Eyeshadow in Concrete and MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood

First things first — if your lids are oily, as mine sometimes are — prime them first with a translucent primer (I like NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base). The primer gives the other products we’ll be using a better surface to adhere to.

If your lids are dry, on the other hand, in the interest of saving time, you can probably skip this step.

bronze and brown eye tutorial 1

Next, apply MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood on your lids with something like the MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush, concentrating most of the color along the lash line.

(No need to worry about being too neat here, because we’ll be blending things out in a minute.)

Then, take the remaining product on your brush, and run it along your lower lash line.

Grab a MAC 217 Blending Brush (or something similar), and blend out the edges of the shadow on your lids.

Try to create a soft gradient/transition where the pigment is at its darkest along your lash lines, fading as it moves up toward your brows.

To further define the shape of your eyes, reach for MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, and line the upper and lower lashes (you can also be a little messy with this step, too), and then use your MAC 239 to softly blend out the edges.

bronze and brown eye tutorial 2
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 230

July 23rd, 2012 by Karen 51 Comments

the makeup and beauty blog monday poll

You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Mood:
Chill and very happy. El Hub and I spent a super low-key and relaxing two days at his parent’s house in a town way up near the Oregon border called Redding last weekend. Basically, lots of hanging out and eating. It was glorious! I even napped a couple of times.
Do you prefer oceans, lakes or rivers?
The ocean! — preferably warm, turquoise ones like the Pacific around Hawaii.
What’s one makeup tip that has been of great help to you?
OOH! Here’s one that’s helped me a ton! To make sure your brows are filled in evenly, tilt your head slightly upward when you look straight into your mirror. For some reason, that slight change in perspective makes it much easier to see when one brow is shorter or longer than the other, or when your angles are just not quite even.
What are three things guaranteed to make you smile?
1) Quoting lines from the movie Stepbrothers (“This is a house of learn-ed doctors!” LOL!), 2) when someone holds the door open for me, and 3) fresh freesia flowers.
Regular or decaf?
Regular, or half-caf when I’m feeling edgy.
Have you ever played beach volleyball?
Oh, hell naw! That’s like my nightmare sport. I have problems with projectile activities… Whenever I see a ball coming toward me I run away! Plus, there’s the whole problem with jumping around in the sand, which gets all up in my business.

Sure is fun to watch, though.
When do you usually have the most energy during the day?
Usually mid-morning right after my run.
What’s one makeup or beauty product you’ve really wanted to try but haven’t quite gotten around to yet?
Even though I need another bronzer like I need to hear that Maroon 5 song about the payphones again (why is it ALWAYS on the radio?!), I’m dying to try Chanel’s Soleil de Tan (LOL! I just accidentally typed “Soleil de Tabs.”).

I’m on a mission to find a magic cream bronzer! Will this be the one? Hmm…
What’s a book you loved as a child?
Harriet the Spy. I read it so many times that my copy literally fell apart at the seams!
Weekly goals:
To get a new pool key from the housing association (still can’t find my old one), to try a couple of new foundations, and to focus on doing just one task at a time (no multitasking!).

Hey, cutie patootie. Before you let your fingers do the talking on today’s Monday Poll, will you do me a quick favor first? Please give me a big smile. Like my mom always says, “Smile and the whole world smiles with you.” 🙂

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

1. Mood:
2. Do you prefer oceans, lakes or rivers?
3. What’s one makeup tip that has been of great help to you?
4. What are three things guaranteed to make you smile?
5. Regular or decaf?
6. Have you ever played beach volleyball?
7. When do you usually have the most energy during the day?
8. What’s one makeup or beauty product you’ve really wanted to try but haven’t quite gotten around to yet?
9. What’s a book you loved as a child?
10. Weekly goals: