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

A Tiny Bottle of Kerastase Spray A Porter, and a Mini Meow Day

April 10th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Cutest mini ever! — the Kerastase Spray a Porter Travel Size ($18 for a 1.7-ounce bottle)

How’s it going, babe? How is your afternoon coming along? I just got back from the salon (got my roots touched up).

Today I took sort of a mini “meow time” half-day, and I really needed it. I’ve been feeling a little run down lately because I’m just not sleeping well, and my allergies are in full effect.

And then after the salon, I swung by Blue Barn, my favorite salad place in Corte Madera.

Nom! Tell me that this doesn’t look like one of the greatest salads ever.

It was a relaxing few hours… I almost feel like a normal girl again.

Almost. 🙂

While I was at the salon, I picked up the cute little travel-sized bottle of Kerastase Spray a Porter up there at the top.

Cute, yah?

I saw it sitting on a shelf next to the full-sized Spray a Porter, and I couldn’t resist.

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned/gushed about this stuff before, but basically it’s a potion of glittering unicorn tears, powdered rainbows and fluffy blue-eyed kittens that comes in a spray bottle.

I’m sure those are the ingredients. 🙂

It’s kind of magical. I use it almost daily for beachy waves — think messy, but not too messy. Like Victoria’s Secret runway model hair with lots of volume.

So, so good.

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Clinique Lash Power Feathering Mascara Is Not for the Birds, but for Others Who Like a Feathered Fringe

April 10th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

The word, “feathering,” in Clinique’s new Lash Power Feathering Mascara makes me think of birds. And birds make me think of jerks. Because that’s what they are. JERKS.

Oh, I’m just cranky because the neighborhood birds completely decimated my radishes.

I filled two large planters with radish seeds (partly because they grow to harvest in 25-30 days, which is quick, and partly because El Hub and I like them in salads), and as soon as they began to sprout the cutest, tiniest little leaves (aww!), the neighborhood birds just tore ’em up without any regard for my spring planting agenda.

They chewed up the sprouts, destroying every single last one of them, until all that remained were a few sad nubs that will not survive.

Sooooo…no radishes for the nice lady who, incidentally, keeps the bird feeder on the deck filled at all times with yummy birdseed.

Nope. No radishes. Not one.

Anyway…#endrant. On to mascara.

I wanted to try Clinique’s new Lash Power Feathering Mascara mostly because of the marketing hype, which promises “out-to-there” length, and being a mascara hoarder an all, that greatly excited me. 🙂

Lash Power also promises a feathery soft lash look that lasts 12 hours without smudging, and to be easy to remove using warm water.

After a week of testing, my verdict is in. On Lash Power, I think my fringe does look feather soft. Lash Power does a great job of separating and maintaining a curling. It tends to flake a little if I go beyond crazy with the layering — it does layer exceptionally well, without any clumping or bumps — but other than that, it’s pretty sturdy stuff, and it really does wash off easily with my regular face cleanser and warm water, which is convenient.

As for smudging, as long as I don’t rub at or futz with my eyes, it doesn’t.

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The MAC Proenza Schouler Collection Clothes Lips, Eyes, Nails and Cheeks in Casual Cool Girl Style

April 10th, 2014 by Karen 42 Comments

I’m working the catwalk every single day, son. Every. Single. Day!

First, they said I was too short, and I was like, “BAM! Here’s your too short.” I’m 5’1″, and I can stomp-walk and hip-pop with the best of ’em!

Look out, Tyra, Naomi and Linda.

Why, just this morning I walked the cat for Proenza Schouler…

Mangrove Lipstick on my lips, and Rich Experience and Black Ice Pro Longwear Eyeliners on my eyes, all three from the new MAC Proenza Schouler collection

Wait — you didn’t think I was talking about actual runway modeling, did you??

GURL! 🙂 I was talking about actually walking my cat. He’s leash trained.

Sometimes it’s more like sitting with my cat, because he doesn’t always like to walk, but still — my take on cat walking is far removed from the world of high fashion.

The high stakes world of professional pet assisting…

Today, though, it was a little less far removed from fashion because, get this — I actually wore makeup inspired by the catwalk on my cat walk. 🙂

Enter MAC Proenza Schouler, the brand’s latest fashion collaboration.

Proenza Schouler, the New York-based women’s wear and accessories line, was founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez (interesting factoid: they met while attending Parsons School of Design).

The guys are well known for their refined outlook on casual cool girl style, and the 15-piece limited edition collection by MAC seems very much in line with that to me. I certainly see pieces here that cool girls would wear.

With two ombre blushes, four nail polishes, two lip pencils, two eyeliners, four lipsticks and a face brush, all decked out in limited edition packaging, the collection feels dressed up without trying too hard. It’s makeup for gals who like wearing makeup to accentuate a feature or two, and who may not necessarily reach for three different eyeshadows to wear in the crease on the daily. You know what I’m sayin’?

The MAC Proenza Schouler Collection: Some Thoughts…

Availability: Arriving online April 21; at MAC stores and counters April 24; and at international locales some time in April.

Lustre Lipstick in Woodrose ($22)

MAC Woodrose Lustre Lipstick — Lustre Lipstick in Woodrose ($22)

Lustre Lipstick in Woodrose ($22): LOVE the MAC Lustre formula. My dry lips are like, YES! every time I pull a Lustre lipstick out of my purse. They’re just so blasted hydrating and comfortable.

On me when I wear it by itself, Woodrose, a sheer, silky light beige, can look very cool-toned — almost gray. I have to pair it with either a warmer lip pencil or a gloss to keep from looking like a zombie, but if you crave cool-toned nude beiges, it might suit you well.

Satin Lipstick in Pinkfringe ($22)

MAC Pinkfringe Satin Lipstick — Satin Lipstick in Pinkfringe ($22)

Satin Lipstick in Pinkfringe ($22): Technically a Satin, which usually comes with some shine, this cool-toned flamingo pink almost looks like a matte to me. I think I like it more in the tube (so pretty!) than I do on my lips, as it has a knack for settling into my horizontal lip lines and catching on any flakes.

You may have better luck with it than I do if your lips aren’t as dry as mine, but I find myself having to do a lot of prep work to make this one work for me.

Matte Lipstick in Mangrove ($22)

MAC Mangrove Matte Lipstick — Matte Lipstick in Mangrove ($22)

Matte Lipstick in Mangrove ($22): This orangey matte red is cray-cray smooth and darned near flawless. One pass completely covers my lips without a semblance of patchiness or weirdness. I call it a MAC Lady Danger kissing cousin. They’re both very similar, but I think Mangrove is slightly redder and more orange. But not much.

Lustre Lipstick in Primrose ($22)

MAC Primrose Lustre Lipstick — Lustre Lipstick in Primrose ($22)

Lustre Lipstick in Primrose ($22): Like a more pigmented version of Clinique’s classic Black Honey Lipstick, this smooth operator is absolutely beautiful. is absolutely beautiful.

A sheer berry plum Lustre, it’s not exactly the kind of color I’d typically wear in spring/summer, but I’m looking forward to spending quality time with it in fall — early fall, before lips have transitioned to full-on deep and vampy.

I think it would look particularly striking on darker damsels/dudes.

MAC Proenza Schouler Lipsticks — Lipsticks clockwise from the pale beige: Woodrose, Mangrove, Pinkfringe and Primrose ($22 each)

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The Too Faced Cosmetics Pardon My French Set

April 9th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Oh, dangit!

I’m sorry, pardon my French. 🙂 Just a few quick snaps of the new limited edition Too Faced Pardon My French Set ($49, an $83 value), available now at Sephora stores and sephora.com.

The set includes…

One tiny 0.11-oz Shadow Insurance
The Bonjour Summer Eye Shadow palette with nine shadows — Plumeria (a vivid pink), Cocoa Beach (a plummy brown sugar), Firefly (a copper), Chocolate Sun (a shimmery rich brown), Mermaid (a muted teal), Toasted Coconut (a matte caramel), Seashell (a shimmery dusty rose), Sand Dollar (a peachy shimmer) and Sunbeam (a pale golden shimmer)
A mini 0.25-oz Lash Injection Extreme Volume Tubing Mascara
A full-size 0.04-oz Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Black
One makeup bag

Cute, yah?

Time for a Walk With Stylish Cats in the Vans x ASPCA Authentic Kitty Cat Skate Shoes

April 9th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Allow me to get a little cat lady philosophical on ya…

I think that if you’re going to wear something with a cat print on it, be it a dress or a pair of shoes like these Vans ASPCA tennies, for it to really work, the print, from far away, shouldn’t necessarily scream, “KITTIES!”

And then all of the cat ladies out there freak out, LOL!

Wait — hear me out. Before you start throwing Temptations Cat Treats at me, I think that when it comes to cat prints, there’s a fine line between adorably quirky and full-on crazy cat lady, and it’s a line that’s very easy to cross.

Granted, if you do want to go full-on crazy cat lady and rock kittehs

But get up really close, and you see all the cats! Awww!

Yeah, these shoes are super cool. ‘Course, you may appreciate them more if you’re a cat lover, but even if you’re just tolerant of cats, they’re really quite practical for spring and summer.

Starting with the colors, since the cats on the print are in neutral shades, you can wear these shoes with a slew of different outfits. So far, I’ve worn them with dark skinny jeans and a white T-shirt, bright yellow shorts and a loose-fitting heather gray tank top, and even a fitted basic black James Perse jersey dress.

They pretty much go with any of the basics in my closet.

And the shoes themselves are also fairly comfortable. Typical Vans. I did have to break them in a little. The canvas was a little stiff at first but loosened up a bit after a couple of walks.

If you plan to wear them without socks, it might help to have a couple Band-Aids around the first few times you wear them. I do that sometimes when I’m breaking in new shoes. I put Band-Aids on the back of my ankles where the stiff canvas touches my skin. That helps a lot.

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The Hello Kitty Cosmetic Headband by Earth Therapeutics Cutely Keeps Your Fur Out of Your Face

April 9th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

I’m fairly sure this headband is for adults…

Not 100% sure, mind you, but maybe 75%.

LOL! It was like when I saw those Hello Kitty gardening gloves at Target last week. It was only when I looked closely that I realized, “Oh! These are for kids. Crap.” 🙂

So, yeah, it is distinctly possible that this terry cloth Hello Kitty Cosmetic Headband by Earth Therapeutics ($7) was made for kids, but you know what?

I don’t care…’CAUSE IT’S DOPE.

First, it’s only $7, which, hello! — isn’t bad at all for something this practical (I could easily use it every day).

It’s basically just a headband to keep your hair off your face while you’re removing your makeup, applying your makeup, giving yourself a facial or doing anything else where you want to keep your hair out of your face.

But it’s, like, the cutest headband ever. That red Hello Kitty bow is adorable! And there’s an embroidered Hello Kitty patch next to the Earth Therapeutics logo on the back — perfect for when someone is standing behind you wondering why you’re wearing an oversized headband with a red bow… You could just point to the patch and be like, “It’s Hello Kitty, b*tch.” 🙂

Besides the high cuteness factor, it’s also technically a very effective headband. I could spend hours rubbing the terry cloth against my face, ahh…

It’s incredibly soft and plush — like how I imagine the real Hello Kitty’s fur feels in real life.

Uh…not that I’m in my 30s or anything.

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Do You Consider Yourself a Makeup Minimalist?

April 9th, 2014 by Karen 41 Comments

Up above, that’s a typical minimal makeup look for me. Here’s what I’m wearing…

MAC Brun Eye Shadow in my brows

BECCA Ever-Matte Skin Shine Proof Foundation on my cheeks and around my mouth

Clinique High Impact Mascara on my lashes

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer on my undereye area

Clinique Ginger Pop Cheek Pop Blush on my cheeks

MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Innocent on my lips

Do I consider myself a makeup minimalist?

Generally, no, not really. I’m a product junkie through and through.

I mean, I usually sit down intending to do something quick, but it so often turns into a full face of makeup! Given any extra time at all, I will gladly keep playing with brushes and makeup until I am forced to stop. 🙂

Poor El Hub… He knows all too well that “I only need 5 minutes to get ready” is code for “See you in half an hour! Maybe. Probably not.”

Sure, there are times, like when I’m tired or just not in the mood, when I don’t wear any makeup at all or just do the bare minimum, like if I’m running out of the house at 8:52 p.m. to buy emergency gravy before Petco closes (it happens more often than you’d think) or when I’m traveling.

For me, my minimum usually involves brows, mascara, under-eye concealer, a little foundation, blush and gloss.

How about you? Do you consider yourself a makeup minimalist, or do you always go full-bore?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Good morning, my friend. 🙂 How goes it? I’m waving a sleepy hello to you this morning.

It’s been quite warm here this week, so we’ve been sleeping with the windows open at night. It’s so nice to have a breeze circulating in the the room, but oh! — I’m payin’ the piper when the birds go cray-cray before dawn.

Don’t get me wrong, there are worse ways to wake up than birds singing… I just wish they’d start after my alarm, LOL!

Which reminds me, Carrot.

No, not the awesome veggie. It’s a new productivity app I just installed on my phone. Two apps, actually. There’s an alarm and a to-do list manager. Both of them have sassy A.I. personalities to keep you on task.

It’s like having a sassy assistant. If you don’t get your stuff done on time, Carrot gets mad and gives you attitude (Haha! Sounds like Tabs). From what I’ve read, the apps are pretty popular.

I guess they’re like tough love? I dunno… Gonna give them a try today, and I’ll let you know.

What’s shakin’ on your end of the keyboard? Happy hump day.

Wavy Hair Don’t Care! Say Hi to the Bed Head Making Waves S Waver

April 8th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

Yo, VIP…let’s kick it!

Last time I used a hair crimper — and that’s pretty much what the $34.99 Bed Head Making Waves S Waver is, albeit updated and newfangled — Ice Ice Baby was playing (nonstop) on the radio, and the 90210 Dylan-Kelly-Brenda love triangle was sending shockwaves through my high school. Snickers Bars were a bonafide food group, and I harbored dreams of Keanu Reeves asking me to the prom.

Oh, yeah. And wavy hair ruled the land.

So, this doohickey is much cooler than the crimping irons I used back in the day. The surface area is markedly wider, so it doesn’t take anywhere near as long to get lots of great texture in your hair as you move down the shaft. Plus, I think the bigger waves look more modern.

The marketing mumbo-jumbo: the S-shaped waver barrel uses tourmaline ceramic technology!

In non-beauty jargon, that just means that it’s coated with crystals that help eliminate frizz. The waver also has multiple heat settings and a handy tangle-free swivel cord.

It does not, however, have an auto off switch.

Basically, all you do is slip a 1-2 inch section of hair into the waver, clamp down, then let it heat up your hair for…however long you want to keep it in there. I usually do from 30 seconds to a minute.

When you release the iron, that section of hair will have a deep S-shaped wave. Then you move the iron down the shaft, lining up the outermost wave from the previous section as you work your way down.

My hair falls past my shoulders and already has a little loose, natural wave to it, so I use the Bed Head S-Waver on the upper layers and a few sections of inner layers, but I don’t use it on every section because I prefer it when the texture doesn’t look overly uniform.

I guess I like having a bit of chaos both in my hurrr and my life. 🙂

First, the pros. It heats up quickly — just a few minutes — works fast, and the waves it creates last for days. If I “wave” my hair on Monday (and refrain from washing it), the style lasts till Wednesday or Thursday.

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