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

Outfit of the Day, Vol. 11: Current/Elliott Crazy Pants

June 7th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

current elliott ankle skinny jeans in canvas

Full shot of the crazy pants! — a.k.a. the Skinny Ankle Jean in Canvas Boa.

They’re by Current/Elliott, and just like a real boa constrictor’s belly, they stretch.

That’s my favorite thing about ’em. They’re stretchy, and very forgiving when I’m feeling bloated…or when I’ve “accidentally” partaken of one too many free cheesecake samples at the Tuesday night farmers’ market, whoops!

But even though they’re stretchy, they don’t stretch out so much that they’re hanging off my butt by the end of the day.

Score! 🙂

I found this pair on sale last month at Hautelook. They’re not on sale there right now, but I did see them (unfortunately, full price) at Revolve Clothing and Bergdorf Goodman.

SINCE THE PATTERN IS KINDA LOUD, I usually try to keep the rest of the outfit simple, like with a loose-fitting white tee. This one’s by Caslon, the Nordstrom house brand, and here’s another one that’s similar.

Here I’m also wearing the shirt with a gray Band Oh underneath, and for accessories, a stack of silver bracelets/bangles and a pair of black platforms/sandals.
[Continue reading…]

What Makeup Makes Up Your 10-Minute Summer Makeup Routine?

June 7th, 2012 by Karen 42 Comments

10-minute summer makeup

Summer!

Almost, but not quite…

It is getting close, though, and I’ve already started using my 10-minute summer makeup routine.

It really does take 10 minutes, too. No kidding (I’ve timed it from start to finish). 🙂

In summer (and sometimes even in late fall, haha), I like my makeup lightweight. I also like the beachy, bronzed look I get with these products from MAC and NARS, all of which have saved me many times when I’ve been running late, like when I’m getting ready and hear El Hub yell from downstairs, “Babe! We need to leave NOW!”

“Uh…” (Don’t panic.) “I’ll be down in 10 minutes!”

The products in my 10-minute summer makeup routine

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 PA +++ — Please tell me you’ve tried this tinted moisturizer before! Two words: awesome sauce. It’s lightweight, easy to apply and covers darn near everything. I like to mix two of the shades, Cuba and St. Mortiz, for a good match to my NC42 skin tone, and apply that with my fingers.
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer — My number one concealer love for two years running. I mix the NC42 shade with a dash of MAC Careblends Essential Oil, and pat the mixture wherever I need extra coverage on my face. Then, I do the same thing with a lighter color in NW25 (the peachy tones in NW25 help to counteract the purple) under my eyes using a MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush.
MAC Pro Longwear Bronzer in Nude on Board — For some extra warmth and definition, I sweep this across my forehead, along my jawline and beneath the apples of my cheeks.
NARS Madly Blush — Probably like thousands, if not millions of us, I’m mad about Madly. It’s a peachy beige with pink undertones and subtle shimmer. One of my most coveted NARS must-haves. I really do think it flatters a wide range of skin tones.
MAC Concrete Eyeshadow — MAC Concrete Eyeshadow is like American Express (don’t leave home without it). I almost never leave the house without filling in my brows with it and almost always use the MAC 266 Small Angle Brush for the job.
MAC Eye Kohl in Powersurge — If Goldilocks made a kohl liner, it would probably be called Powersurge (because it’s just right). I love this golden bronze liner so much that it hasn’t left my makeup bag in five years. It’s epic, I tell you! And I can’t remember the last time I took a trip without it, much less forgot it at home for a day.
MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara — Okay, so the more I’ve used this mascara, the more I like it. It won’t clump, and the skinny brush doesn’t leave any unnecessary product on my lids. I think it’s also super easy to use. A single layer lengthens and defines while simultaneously glossing up my lashes.
MAC Nymphette Lipglass — This last piece of this 10-minute puzzle is a worldwide superstar. A lot of the time, I grab whatever gloss is within reach (or inside my purse at any given time), but because of its uncanny flexibility (it’s like an Olympic gymnast/gloss), Nymphette is one of my old-school faves.

How about you? What makeup makes up your 10-minute summer makeup routine?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Surf Was Up at Sephora This Week With Beachy Keen Products From NARS, Hourglass, Dolce & Gabbana and More

June 7th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

nars beach lover box

I wonder if the airlines have done studies on how much the temperature on the mainland affects demand for flights to the tropics, because it sure seems like there’s a relationship to me. The colder it gets, the more I long for the tropics.

And wouldn’t ya know it? We went from upper-80s here two weeks ago to a week of 60-something-degree days, with a very chilly breeze, and so, of course, I can’t stop thinking about warm beaches…

You know that old saying about missing the beach, right? — “A trip to Sephora heals all wounds.”

Okay, so maybe that’s not a real saying…but it should be! 🙂

Can’t you see it across the front of a Roxy rash guard? Or cross-stitched on a big beach towel hanging on the wall of a surf shop?

Because not even Tabs can change the weather (lord knows he’s tried), I headed to Sephora yesterday looking for beach-themed beauty…

And I started at NARS! — with the new $49 limited edition Beach Lover Set.

It comes with a Medium Laguna Illuminator, a Mini Orgasm Blush/Hungry Heart Highlighter Duo, a Skorpios Mini Soft Touch Shadow Pencil and a Medium Laguna Lip Gloss.

nars beach lover in hand
From the left: Laguna Illuminator, Skorpios Shadow Pencil, Laguna Lip Gloss and the Orgasm/Hungry Heart Highlighter Duo

I’ve been meaning to swatch Laguna Lip Gloss for a while (every time I hear the name, I think Laguna Beach and say “Stephen!”). It’s a bronzed brown with golden shimmer.

nars beach lover swatches
Swatches from the left: Hungry Heart Blush, Orgasm Blush, Skorpios Shadow Pencil, Laguna Lip Gloss, Laguna Illuminator unblended and blended

It’s pretty, isn’t it? Kind of a less disco version of MAC Oh Baby Lipglass?

I hope NARS releases a full-size tube…

On the topic of glosses, a couple others also caught my eye — the two new shades of the Larger Than Life Lip Glosses in Gold Digger (a sparkling peach shimmer) and Born This Way (a light lavender pink).

nars gold digger
Gold Digger (top) and Born This Way (bottom)

nars gold digger swatch
Gold Digger on the left and Born This Way on the right
[Continue reading…]

Off the Grid

June 7th, 2012 by Karen 3 Comments

Spa Ritual Lacquer in Off the Grid, $10. Available now at Sephora and sephora.com.

Cat Lady Calendar, June 2012

June 7th, 2012 by Karen 4 Comments

Gray and white kitties for June!

Cheeks Shine, Naturally, Wearing Korres Cheek Butter in Chara Crimson

June 6th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

korres cheek butter chara crimson
Wearing Korres Cheek Butter in Chara Crimson

Flaky at breakfast, equal parts dry and oily by lunch, and then it’s “Welcome to Shine Central” by dinner.

My cheeks are so fickle! (How fickle are they?)

They’re fickle like a teenage girl (been there, done that). Thankfully, unlike parents who just don’t understand, my pot of Korres Cheek Butter in Chara Crimson ($25) totally gets my moody skin.

We hit it off when we met for swatches at Sephora a couple weeks back. It was just me, Chara and the other two available shades. They were so thick and creamy, and packed with pigment to spare, that it didn’t take long to tell there was something special about these.

We even started hanging out. 🙂

Berry pink Chara Crimson, the darkest of the three shades, really appeals to my lazy side. All it takes is a couple swipes to apply and blend it on my cheeks, but that’s not even the coolest part. I also love how it latches on to my skin and won’t let go for nothin’, lasting all day long without emphasizing any dry patches, flakes, pores or fine lines.

Whether I wear it by itself on bare skin or atop tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation, Chara Crimson always pinches my cheeks, so to speak, but in a way that still looks natural (no clown cheeks here).

It’s gotta be the shine.

Maybe that’s the secret sauce. It’s super subtle — just the quietest hint of a glow — but I think it’s why the finish looks so natural.

korres cheek butter chara crimson
Chara Crimson

korres cheek butter swatches
Korres swatches from the left: Cheek Butters in Philia Rose, Eros Coral and Chara Crimson; Magic Light Contouring Trios in Mykonos and Santorini

korres cheek butter chara crimson
[Continue reading…]

Emily Blunt: Her Best Hair?

June 6th, 2012 by Karen 5 Comments

emily blunt her best hair

Even before her big box-office break as the cranky, red-haired assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, Emily Blunt (born Emily Olivia Leah Blunt on February 23, 1983) was gracing small and big screens across the pond.

She won a Golden Globe in 2005 for her performance in the British TV drama, Gideon’s Daughter, but it was her scene-stealing role as Emily in Prada that fashionably thrust her into the spotlight.

She recently starred in the The Five-Year Engagement with Jason Segal, and now she’s in another comedy, this one called Your Sister’s Sister, which hits theaters June 15.

Loading ...

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

On the Road Again With the Bobbi Brown Rose Shimmer Brick, a Traveling Semi-Exclusive

June 6th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

bobbi brown rose gold shimmer brick

It’s a feeling I know all too well…

That gut-busting moment that usually happens to me at airports, when I’m totally stoked about an upcoming trip. I’m through the security check, got my shoes back on, walked all the way down to the gate, and then, as I’m rifling through my makeup bag, I realize, “Crap! I don’t have my [INSERT YOUR CAN’T-LIVE-WITHOUT-IT MAKEUP ITEM HERE].”

Thankfully, if that ever happens to you, and the product happens to be Bobbi Brown’s Rose Gold Shimmer Brick, you might be able to grab a replacement right then and there.

bobbi brown rose gold shimmer brick

You may remember it from Bobbi’s Rose Gold collection earlier this year — the multipurpose shimmery compact for cheeks and eyes?

In it, five shimmery strips in various shades of peach, pink, gold and bronze sit side by side. You can wear ’em separately as eyeshadows or mixed together with a big fluffy brush and worn as a pinkish peach blush or highlighter, like I’m doing here in these pics.

Still available online (and probably also at many counters, although you may have to ask), it’s just being re-promoted as a travel exclusive (or non-exclusive, as the case may be) and pushed out to select airports and duty-free shops.

Could come in handy if you’re ever stuck at the airport and need a quick hit of shimmery golden pinkish peach…

bobbi brown rose gold shimmer brick swatches

When it comes to application, I find that using a light touch seems to help. If I go overboard, with either the individual shades or the mix, the powders appear to exaggerate the size of my pores and emphasize my fine lines (boo).

bobbi brown rose gold shimmer brick
[Continue reading…]