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

Archives for April 2012

MAC Unsung Heroes: Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eye Shadow

by 7 Comments

mac fresh flare pro longwear eye shadow

I wish I could go back in time to the exact moment I purchased my first green eyeshadow from MAC, the now discontinued MAC Sprout, and hand myself a pan (from the future!) of MAC Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eye Shadow ($20) instead.

Ah, MAC Sprout… I think I liked the color more than the execution. Gritty and difficult to blend, it was one of the hardest eyeshadows I’ve ever used.

Fresh Flare, on the other hand, an intensely pigmented kelly green with golden undertones, might as well be called a dairy product because it blends like butter on toast. Smooth, super pigmented, easy to blend, and I barely detect any fallout from it at all.

If you’ve been feeling green (in a good way) but don’t know where to start, take a quick look at Fresh Flare.

mac fresh flare pro longwear eye shadow

mac fresh flare pro longwear eye shadow swatch
[Continue reading…]

Detoxify Your Skin the Bentonite Way With a DIY Bentonite Clay Mask

by 20 Comments

NadegeAbout the Author
This guest post was written by Nadege of Atomic Beaute. You can also find Nadege on Twitter and Facebook.

Bentonite clay face mask

With what our faces face on a daily basis — sun exposure being the big one — clay masks are a great way to treat common skin challenges. I like to give my face a good detoxing once a week to make up for not taking good care of my skin during the week (I’m definitely guilty of this!).

Take a night, and treat yourself to a nice, calming bentonite clay mask.

Bentonite clay is here to save the day! — scratch that. The week! This soft volcanic clay is suitable for all skin types. It absorbs toxins, draws out blackheads, kills acne-causing bacteria, and it’s great for spot treatments, too (just mix it with a little bit of water). It also has anti-aging benefits, because as it exfoliates the skin, it helps with cell turnover.

So, are you ready to detoxify the bentonite way? 🙂 If you are, here’s…

What you’ll need

  • A few small stalks of sage
  • 2 tbsp of bentonite clay powder
    (carried at most health food stores)
  • 1 tbsp of honey
  • 1 tbsp of coconut oil
  • Half a lemon

Sage (enough to fit in a small bowl)

Bentonite clay face mask

2 tbsp of bentonite clay (available here and here)

Bentonite clay face mask

1 tbsp of honey

Bentonite clay face mask
[Continue reading…]

Tango With Tangerine: Simple Ways to Wear Pantone’s Color of the Year

by 26 Comments

RadhikaAbout the Author
This guest post was written by Radhika of Weekend Ramblings. You can also find Radhika on Twitter and Facebook.

The Sephora Pantone Tangerine Tango Collection

Back when we were kids, my cousins and I spent a good deal of each summer vacationing at our grandma’s place. I don’t really remember how we spent our time (stealing mangoes, yes), but one thing I do remember clearly is the ice cream man.

Well, it wasn’t actually ice cream… More like frozen sticks of bright orange juice that prompted animated discussions about whose tongue was the most stained.

Sigh… Good times. 😀

Anyhow, that’s what I thought of when I saw Pantone’s Color of the Year, a bright reddish orange quite aptly named Tangerine Tango.

While I can see a bright tangerine pump making all the difference between drab and chic, I’ve always found it difficult to embrace bright orange makeup. Then, this year, it starts up popping up everywhere! — most notably perhaps in the much hyped Sephora + Pantone Tangerine Tango Collection.

Truth be told, I’m a little shy about venturing beyond beiges and browns, and it took me a while to build up the courage to try the colour. When I did, though, I caved and bought the set.

If you’re wondering how you can add a splash of tangerine to your look while staying firmly on the safer side of the colour spectrum, here are some options:

Tangerine eyes

Sephora Pantone Tangerine Tango on the eyes
Sephora + Pantone eyeshadow quad and Tangerine Tango Twist eyeliner

The easiest way I’ve found to add the colour to my eyes is by using a tangerine eyeliner close to my lash line, which I usually smudge with some brown eyeshadow.

Sephora Pantone Tangerine Tango on the eyes

MAC CopperingThe Sephora palette comes with a tangerine eyeliner and an eye shadow quad, which is probably enough tangerine to last someone a lifetime!

If you’re looking for a drugstore option instead, try Maybelline Colour Tattoo eye shadow in Fierce & Tangy, or for a colour bound to outlast the current tangerine trend, try orangey copper MAC Coppering.


MAC Coppering and Maybelline Colour Tattoo Eyeshadow Fierce and Tangy
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 218

by 32 Comments

makeup and beauty blog monday poll

The clock on my laptop screen says Mon 8:58 AM, which is the time back home in Novato, but here in Hawaii, it’s three hours earlier, 5:58 AM, and the sun has yet to rise above the horizon.

Super quick Monday Poll this morning, friend, because El Hub has instructed me to “step away from the computer, NOW!” Today is the last full day of my vacation, and tomorrow I head back to the Bay.

  • 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.
  1. Mood:
    Happy and sad. Happy because I’ve had a great time here on Kauai; sad because I can’t bring the island back home with me to California.
  2. One thing you’d like to accomplish today?
    Does getting pruny skin count as an accomplishment? Because today I’d like to stay in the water long enough to be able to say, “I’m getting pruny.”

    Oh, and I’d like a mai tai… I mean, later today. I’d prefer breakfast first.

  3. Do you like salsa or hot sauce with your eggs?
    Mild salsa, yes.
  4. What’s one beauty product you’ve been using a lot lately?
    Becca Beach Lip and Cheek Tint in Watermelon. First, it smells like watermelon, which I love. Second, you can wear it as a blush or a lip stain (or both), and it applies just fine with fingers. Third, a little bit goes a long way. I barely have to use any to get a nice cheek flush.
  5. Did you take any lessons when you were a kid?
    I took piano lessons for … a long time, LOL! Years and years. It was kind of forced upon me, though, and I didn’t really enjoy it at the time. I think I was too young to really appreciate it.

    Ah, but one unintended side effect of those lessons was that my typing speed shot through the roof!

  6. Weekly goals:
    I don’t want to think about the rest of the week right now. Today, I only want to think about today, and about enjoying my last day here.

    And then later, when I’m back at home, I would like to start planning another trip for late summer/fall, even if it’s just a one-day road trip or a long weekend. Having something to look forward to makes everything better.

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



1. Mood:
2. One thing you’d like to get done today?
3. Salsa with your eggs: yay or nay?
4. One beauty product you’ve been using a lot lately?
5. Did you take any lessons when you were a kid?
6. Weekly goals:

I hope your week gets off to a good start. Talk to you soon. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Not a lot to report about my day here yesterday (Kauai, Day 4). Just a lot of nothing, which was fine by me.

We did drive out to the south shore of the island to a town called Poipu and a place called Shipwreck Beach, which I’d heard has great snorkeling, but the water was a little too choppy, so we drove back and spent the afternoon reading and eating playing by the hotel pool.

Sundays Without Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 189

by 33 Comments

Dear Tabs,

Hello from The Garden Isle. I trust you’re doing well and enjoying your time away from me at home with your pet sitter.

I hope you’re having fun, but please remember to keep the noise down when you invite your friends over for catnip cocktails. I really don’t need another nasty letter from the homeowner’s association.

Per your instructions regarding the new kitty modeling agency, I’ve been scouting for up-and-coming talent here on Kauai…

To be frank, the talent pool here is huge! — but not in the literal sense. I know you’d had your heart set on filling spots in our plus-size category, but the kitties here would probably be better suited to our petite kitty modeling division.

In fact, I’ve already interviewed three potentials models on the island — a tortie, a tabby and a tuxedo. All three of them are currently employed as entertainers here at the hotel and share a place next to the barbeque pit.


Employees of the hotel…

I was walking back to my room from the fitness center the other morning when the tabby stopped me to introduce himself.

At that very moment, a guest here at the hotel walked up to us holding a box of Friskies. The tabby’s eyes widened with anticipation. “Mrow,” he said.

The woman, a vet tech visiting from the mainland, said that she’d been feeding the hotel strays during her vacation over the past week, but that she was just about to fly home. She handed me the box of Friskies, looked deeply into my eyes, and said, “It’s up to you now.” A cat lady had passed her the box when she first arrived, and now it was up to me. I told her that I was a certified pet assistant/crazy cat lady, and I pledged to take my duties seriously.

So I’ve been feeding the kitties every morning right after I work out. The tortie girl is my favorite of the three. She’s always the friendliest and flashes her tum to show trust. She even lets me pet her cheeks! (Please don’t be jealous.)
[Continue reading…]

MAC Unsung Heroes: Viva Glam V Lipglass

by 12 Comments

MAC viva glam v lipglass

Viva Glam V Lipglass ($14.50) is a great gateway gloss for makeup newcomers, and it’s probably the color I recommend the most to new/shy makeup wearers, especially teens and girls just getting into makeup for the first time.

I know that if I was a young girl looking for a mom-approved gloss, (my mom never liked me wearing crazy colors), neutral shimmery pink Viva Glam V definitely would have made the cut.

And I swear that it makes my lips look fuller, even though it’s technically not a plumping gloss.

mac viva glam V

MAC viva glam v lipglass swatch
[Continue reading…]

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.