Beauty product reviews, makeup tips and news from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict.
Fri, 10/31/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup
Hey, ghouls! I’m on my way to a pet costume Halloween parade (insert collective “Awww…”) before dinner but wanted to say another quick hi. Here’s my look for tonight. I didn’t feel up to one of those deluxe MAC Halloween looks, and, since we’re just going out to dinner, opted instead for this moderately scary smokey eye with false lashes and pink lips.
I used MAC false lashes and a bunch of pigments to get this eye look, including Dark Soul, Smoke Signal and Your Ladyship from last year’s Smoke Signals collection.
Send me some pictures (karen_at_makeupandbeautyblog.com) of your Halloween look, okay? Be safe and sane tonight!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Wed, 04/29/2009 by Karen | Posted in: Daily-Beauty
Tabs has built-in smokey eyes — so not fair!
For the rest of us, there’s the Benefit Smokin’ Eyes Palette for eyes and brows ($36).
Mon, 06/11/2007 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD)
Here’s a quick daytime smokey eye with two of my favorite MAC shadows – Vex and Club
Eyes:
Brows – MAC Concrete
Shadow base – MAC Paint in Bare Canvas
Highlight – MAC Vex
Crease – MAC Soba
Lid – MAC Club
Upper and Lower Lashes – MAC Fluidline in Blitz & Glitz
Lashes – Dior Show
Cheeks:
Paula Dorf Cheek Creme, Cha Cha
MAC Blush, Dollymix
Lips:
Liner – MAC Subculture
Gloss – Laura Mercier Lip Glace Rose
It was my birthday weekend this past Saturday and Sunday and I spent lots of time doing my favorite things: eating and hanging out with close friends and family. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday. Here a pics of the ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins (Jamoca Almond Fudge with Chocolate Cake, yum). I may have a slice for breakfast!
Happy Birthday to all my Gemini girls!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Wed, 02/4/2009 by Karen | Posted in: Drugstore Beauty Finds, MAC Makeup
Smokey eyes can take a timid makeup look to the next level and help bring out your Queen of Sheba.
It seems like they’re never out of style. Maybe that’s because they’re easy to do, unmistakable from afar and don’t require lots of products to create.
The following 5 smokey eye looks feature MAC Cosmetics, but each look can also be done by substituting similar products from other lines.
“Hey, ladies! On Halloween some of you asked for a tutorial describing the MAC Smokey Eyes look I wore to dinner. I was in the mood for MAC today, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s heavy on MAC products, but you could definitely use similar products from other brands.”
“I tried this brown, bronze and navy blue smokey eye. When I was done with the look, I walked around the room by myself, pretending I was contemplating impressionist paintings in a fancy art gallery.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever tire of doing smokey eyes. There are just so many different ways to work the look, like this spin on a daytime eye for work. It’s a method I learned from my favorite MAC artist, Jen, using products from the MAC Metal Urge and Red She Said collections.”
“I started this face of the day with one pan — ONE PAN! — of MAC Mulch Eyeshadow. From there, it quickly spiraled out of control into a look with seven different shades. I don’t know what’s going on with me, but I think it has something to do with an upcoming deadline. The more pressed for time I get, the more makeup I want to wear! I know I can’t be the only one who loves to procrastinate this way.”
“In Saturday’s class, I chose to do the club look, thinking I’d leave with some crazy, colorful eye like in the above chart. Instead, we ended up doing more of a smokey blue eye with light cheeks and bold pink lips.”
Can you share any tips or tricks to help others with their smokey eyes?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Wed, 10/29/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Beauty Tips, Makeup Tips/How To
Ladies, when it comes to smoldering smokey eyes, the secret sauce is in the blending. Dark eye makeup looks best when it’s blended really well, and nothing can steal smokey eye thunder like a patchy makeup job that draws attention away from your eyes and onto your makeup. Lawd knows I’ve rushed through my share of smokey eyes. Regrettably, there are few eye makeup looks that can so easily go awry.
But don’t be discouraged! Try one of these tips the next time you’re feelin’ smokey.
If you’ve never tried a smokey eye using your fingers before, give it a try. Using fingers can even be easier than using a brush. Start by loading up your ring finger with black shadow. Dab over your lid. Follow the black up with a shimmery gray shadow, and blend with a finger. Add mascara and you’re done! Just be careful you don’t drag shadow out of the lid area or too far into the inner corner of the eye.
Color the entire lid with a dark pencil before applying a lighter coordinating shadow (not necessarily the same color) on top of it. It’s a quick way to add more depth than eyeshadows alone and looks amazing!
For uber-easy smokey eyes, use a jet black eyeliner smudged out with a bit of eye gloss. You won’t get a look that lasts forever, but a little loose powder patted over the edges will help prevent smearing. NOTE: don’t rub those eyes!
When lining your waterline with black, cover every nook and cranny. Get as close to the root of the lash as possible, even going in between them, to add as much black to the look as possible. What you don’t want is some of your natural skin tone along the waterline showing through to sabotage all your hard work.
For a pop of color, apply a neutral shadow to the entire lid. Then, smudge a dot of brighter shadow in the center of the lid and thoroughly blend.
How’s your week coming along? I’ve had better, but we don’t get to choose our days. All we can do is choose how we deal with them.
Have you seen the new holiday palettes for Shu Uemura? They’re called mika shu, and I think they’re adorable! I’ll post thoughts and swatches very soon.
Hang in there this week. This kind of comes out of nowhere … but that’s the kind of week I’m having. I’ve got something big on my mind. Our family’s going through some stuff that I’ll be ready to share with you soon, but for now I just want to thank you all for brightening my days and sharing your time with me.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Tue, 11/4/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Just For Fun, Makeup
Every girl’s gotta have one in her rotation of makeup looks — a go-to smokey eye, cheek and lip combo.
My combo’s quick and easy (you know me), and I wear it to family functions and semi-formal events when I want to look mature and put together. 
Eyes: Brown smokey eyes with a touch of dark green
Cheeks: Peach cheeks
Lips: Coral lips
How to get the look:
On my eyes, I’ll use the Chanel Winter Nights quad ($56) and a black pencil (preferably waterproof) like Lancome Le Stylo in Noir ($23). I like MAC Sunbasque blush on my cheeks ($18; can also be used as a bronzer), a lovely gilded peach with pearl (think sun-kissed cheeks!), and the lips take a combination of three products: MAC Sublime Culture Cremestick liner ($14.50), Chanel Zanzibar Aqualumiere Lipstick ($26) and Chanel Glossimer in Gazelle ($26).
What’s your favorite smokey eye, cheek and lip combo?
Eyes: __________
Cheeks:__________
Lips:__________
How to get the look:__________
Share yours in the comments. 
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Wed, 10/22/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Beauty Tips, Makeup Tips/How To, Top Posts
One of my favorite things about makeup is that there’s always room to step up your game. I love to imagine all the tips and tricks that I’ve yet to learn.
I’m always looking to get better at doing smokey eyes. I’ve come across hundreds of smokey eye tutorials, and I think these 10 are some of the most helpful ones. I hope you find them useful, too!
Thu, 11/6/2008 by Karen | Posted in: MAC Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To
Hey, ladies! On Halloween some of you asked for a tutorial describing the MAC Smokey Eyes look I wore to dinner.
I was in the mood for MAC today, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s heavy on MAC products, but you could definitely use similar products from other brands.
First, to improve the staying power of my eye makeup, I prepped my lids with a thin layer of Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
Then, with a MAC 249 synthetic shader brush, I patted a layer of Nice Vice Paint Pot onto the lid and into the crease.
With Smolder Eye Kohl, I drew a very thick line on my lids and along my upper lash and water lines…
…and then along the lower lash and water lines, doing my best to really get the pencil between the root of each lash (darkening the skin between the lashes to enhance the desired effect).
Knowing I was going to smudge pigment on top of the liner, I didn’t worry about messy lines.
Continue Reading…
Tue, 06/30/2009 by Karen | Posted in: Makeup Tips/How To, News
I’ve always wanted a Burberry coat like the one Harry Potter alum Emma Watson has on here, but the coat wasn’t what first grabbed my attention about this new ad campaign. It was her smoldering, smokey eyes!
The look, in its many incarnations, never really goes out of style, and one of my favorite things about smokey eyes is how little effort they can take.
Take, for example, this one-minute smokey eye by MAC Senior Makeup Artist James Malloy, which breaks down a little something like this:
This look by makeup artist Nancy Spencer starts with a base on the eyelid and an eye primer like Urban Decay Primer Potion ($17) to help the eyeshadow stay put.
Experiment with your smokey eyes, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Like MAC Pro Artist Neil Young says, “It’s not a tattoo; it [makeup] comes off.”
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Have you peeped the new Benefit Smokin’ Eyes Palette yet? With seven products for $36, I think it smacks of a pretty good deal.
Sun, 02/3/2008 by Karen | Posted in: MAC Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To
Smokey eyes are all over the frickin’ place at NY Fashion Week. Check it: warm brown smokey eyes and neutral lips at the Boy By Band of Outsiders show.
Le sigh… I both love and hate this at the same time. Love it because it’s really pretty and sexy (and dare I say, smoldering); hate it because for the life of me I can’t get it right. I’ve got two left feet (hands?) when it comes to doing smokey eye looks. I aim for “stylish rave vampire” but end up more “barefoot Britney walking into a gas station restroom.”
There are times when I feel like your friendly neighborhood beauty addict won’t ever prevail over the elusive smokey eye. She’ll be forced to hang up her brushes to live a life of smokey eye-free debauchery.
Despite my proclamations of klutziness, Gordon Epsinet, Vice President of Makeup Artistry for MAC Cosmetics, insists that just about anyone (even me) can do a hot smokey eye.
“To do a beautiful smokey eye you must start with a fabulous dark pencil,” says Gordon. “You have to have MAC Smolder [eyeliner]. “It blends beautifully together with shadows and cream colors and MAC paints as well.”
“Start with lots of black pencil on the eye,” says Gordon. “Apply the pencil around the rim of the eye first, then blend it with the #219 brush, which looks like a fat little pencil.”
“You’re going to blend that, smudge it in a bit, so it looks like a smokey stain.”
Next, blend a dark brown eyeshadow into the black liner to create a mix of brown and black colors. Blend the brown shadow over the black pencil stain you just created. Gordon suggests using…
For this I chose MAC Brun, and here’s what it looks like after I blended it on top of Smolder.
Gordon then suggests using a MAC #224 brush (a soft, fluffy, tapered brush), to blend a lighter eyeshadow into and above the dark brown layer you just created. His favorite colors are…
I have a MAC #224 but find it gets shadow all over the place, so I ended up using a Billy B Paint Brush #6 to apply Soba over the Brun/Smolder mix.
Ultimately, says Gordon, the final look should have the darkest colors at the lash line, and the colors should transition into lighter colors the farther you get away from the lashline.
And here I am in the final look. The only thing missing from this picture is a black beret and a copy of On the Road.
Okay, okay, this wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. With a lil’ bit of practice, I think I’ll be able to get the color transitions to look more subtle and smoother. Come fall I’ll be ready to rock it with the other trendsetters.
Speaking of smokin’, the other night I watched Donnie Darko for the umpteenth time and was reminded of how totally unfair it is for Jake Gyllenhaal to be so hot. Why doesn’t he call and ask me to make out with him?
Of course I’d say no (married, hi), but it would still be nice to be asked.
Anyway, if you’re hunkered down in front of a TV watching the Superbowl, I’ll be with you in spirit. Besides the tight pants and the prospect of eating profound amounts of junk food, I don’t care much for the big game, so I’ll be out and about running errands today. Eat a hot dog for me!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Your weekend ain’t over yet! Here are the best posts o’ the week from the Beauty Blog Network…
Continue Reading…
Last night at the Macy’s Passport fashion show in San Francisco, the makeup was all about 40s-inspired glamour. Dark lips, smokey eyes and brown, shimmery cheeks dominated the runway.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Today I tried to re-create a slightly toned down version of the look (sans flowing burgundy gown) using the Shu Uemura Duo Eye Shadow in Mystifier on my lids and in the crease, the Dior 5 Couleurs Palette in 569 Golds (the pale pink shade in the center of the palette) on the brow bone and MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder on the water line.
For help I looked up the basic smokey eye technique MAC Cosmetics VP of Makeup Artistry Gordon Epsinet described earlier this year.
5-Step Smokey Eye
- Start with a dark pencil eyeliner like MAC Smolder, which blends beautifully with cream shadows and MAC paints as well, and apply lots of black pencil to the eye. Apply the pencil around the rim of the eye first, then blend it with a MAC 219 brush.
- Blend and smudge until it looks like a smokey black stain.
- Then, blend a dark brown eye shadow into the black liner to create a mix of browns and black. Blend the brown shadow over the black pencil stain.
- Next, using a MAC 224 brush (a soft, fluffy, tapered brush), blend a lighter eye shadow color into and above the dark brown layer.
- The final look should have the darkest colors at the lash line, and the colors should transition into lighter colors the farther away you get from the lash line.
For the dark red lip I used NARS Lip Pencil in Amazon and Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in Crimson Dazzle and once again followed Gordon’s advice.
The final look…
Tue, 03/11/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup
I had a lot of fun with MAC Club eyeshadow today. Its versatility makes it great for creating quick, daytime smokey eyes. I had about three seconds to put on my makeup this morning, and I owe this look to MAC Club. Paired with a few new products from Fafi and the N Collections, MAC Club helped me finish this look in 10 minutes.
Believe it or not, but there is a completely rational explanation (as soon as I think of it) for why my nails are different colors in this picture.
Sun, 07/27/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Just For Fun, MAC Makeup, Makeup
Have you seen the movie Wanted starring Angelina Jolie? It’s a cheesy action flick with several cool Matrix-inspired scenes. Angie looks great in it, and hawt day-am! — girlfriend sure works the smokey eye. I counted her wearing at least four stunning variations of it in brown-beige-black. Seriously, where do full-time, expert assassins find time to blend in the outer V? I always assumed they spent their free time cleaning guns and practicing jiujitsu rolls and whatnot. Who knew?
The movie itself didn’t exactly inspire me (two words: exploding rats), but I was inspired by Angie’s makeup in the film. I see some smokey eye looks in my future, for sure.
Speaking of smokey eyes, here are a few posts that featured them. How do you feel about smokey eyes? Have you ever worn one before?
I found out that the pet store across the street offers low-cost veterinary services every so often and that the next time is this coming week, so I’m taking Tabs there for a full check up. Worms be gone (ewww)!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. On Sundays a bunch of fellow beauty bloggers submit what they felt were some of their best posts of the week for a weekly roundup, and here they are. Here are last week’s best posts by the gals of the Beauty Blog Network.
Continue Reading…
Tue, 07/15/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Product Reviews
A few of my early efforts with blue eye shadow left me gun shy for years. There was a time when blue eye looks terrified me worse than MJ’s Thriller video scared me as a kid. Nature’s rarest color isn’t always easy to work with, and even the simplest of blue eye looks can quickly devolve into hot blue messes if you don’t know which products to use and where to put them.
Enter Mally Beauty’s Nolita Navy smokey eye kit (pictured up top), a palette of blue and peach shadows with a handy black pencil liner.
It eases the process of creating simple blue eye shadow looks done with very little blending or effort. Created by celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal (she’s Filipino like me, haaay!), you may have seen the kit sold alongside Mally’s makeup line on QVC.
Each $39.50 kit comes with one cream eye shadow base, three powder eye shadows and one black pencil liner. The pans are about the same size as MAC’s eye shadow pans, and the pencil closely resembled MAC’s Technakohl liner. Value-wise, the cost breaks down to $8 for each of the five products in the kit. If you were to purchase comparable products separately from MAC, you’d pay almost twice as much.
Peach cream-to-powder eye shadow base – This peachy beige base instantly brightened my lids. It glides on and gives the shadows a surface to adhere to for all-day staying power.
Peach matte eye shadow – This peach complements the cream-to-powder base well. Wearing it along with the base creates a perfect canvas for the blue shadows and black liner. For a fresh and casual “no-makeup” look, I wear peach eye shadow over the base, line the upper and lower water lines with the black pencil and add two coats of mascara.
Royal blue shimmer eye shadow – This shimmery, mid-tone blue looks great when applied wet or dry. I wear it on the lid or as a liner.
Navy shimmer eye shadow – A very dark, highly pigmented blue with lots of fine shimmer. I like wearing it as a liner. You can also wear it in the crease, but I wouldn’t advise it if you’re a total beginner because the shade applies very dark. Used incorrectly, it can leave you looking like you just tussled with the local street toughs.
The texture of these shadows reminds me of Tarte and Lola shadows — not as fine or as buttery as Shu Uemura or Lancome, but a definite step up from most drugstore brands.
From left to right: base, peach shadow, royal blue shadow, navy shadow
Black pencil liner – The liner has medium staying power when used on the lashes and water line. I would have preferred it to be a bit more emollient than it is. For me it wasn’t easy to blend shadows on top of it, but it’s not a bad pencil liner at all.
Black pencil liner swatch
Each kit also comes with a clear snakeskin pouch and detailed illustrations on different looks.
I get more value out of this palette when I stick to very simple looks that don’t require a lot of blending. The few times I attempted bold, blue smokey eyes with it, my success rate dropped. I’m sure more practice would help, but I had a hard time creating dramatic blue looks with this kit.
But the kit makes simple blue looks a breeze.
Simple day or evening smokey blue eye
Get the look: Smooth cream base on the lids with fingertips. To cover entire eye lid, use a flat shader brush like the MAC 252 to apply the peach matte shade. Use the same brush to apply the royal blue shade onto the lid and then blend out any stark edges with a blending blush like the MAC 217. Use a flat, angled brush like Sonia Kashuk’s angled eyeshadow brush to apply the navy shade to the upper and lower lash lines. Line the upper water line with the black pencil liner.
Continue Reading…
Sat, 12/8/2007 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD), Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Product Reviews
Why do they call office holiday get togethers “parties”? Everybody knows the only reason you show up is because you have to!
So, what do I do when I know I’ll be subjected to this farce o’ revelry? I buy a new dress to ease the pain a bit and work some fierce makeup, of course.
This year I plan to wear a bronze, gold and khaki smokey eye with punchy pink cheeks and lips. Lynn Furge, Becca cosmetics national artist and all around cool lady, created this look just for Makeup and Beauty Blog. Pretty, yah?
The beautiful Marcella Faustini, a Bay Area in-house artist for Becca, worked her magic when re-creating the look:
To get it, Marcella used the following products:
Face
- Becca Mattifying Primer to prep skin ($35.00)
- Becca Line and Pore Corrector to fill in spots and to smooth out lines and pores ($32.00)
- Becca Skin Color SPF 20+ as a tinted moisturizer ($40.00)
- Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter SPF 20+ as a highlighter and lumimizer ($38.00)
- Becca Concealer ($35.00)
- Becca Stick Foundation in Coffee ($39.00)
- Becca Fine Loose Finishing Powder in Mocha on t-zone only ($35.00)
- Becca Pressed Bronzing Powder in Salsa around frame of face and neck ($34.00)
Cheeks
- Becca Watermelon Beach Tint on apples of cheeks ($22.00)
- Becca Creme Blush in Geranium ($27.00)
Eyes
- Becca Eyeliner Compact and Waterproof Sealer in Barbarella on upper lash line ($27.00)
- Becca Creme Eye Color in Antique Gold on eyelid ($25.00)
- Becca Eye Color Powder in Lurex all over lid ($20.00)
- Becca Eye Color Powder in Chintz along lash line and outer corner ($20.00)
- Becca Eye Color Powder in Shantung ($20.00) and Chnitz on lower two-thirds of lashes
Lips
- Becca Geranium ($27.00)
- Becca Glossy Lip Tint in Angel Kiss ($22.00)
Chintz Eye Color Powder – khaki-gold shimmer
Lurex Eye Color Powder – silvery-gold shimmer
Shantung Eye Color Powder – antique-bronze shimmer
To see the Becca line in the SF Bay Area, visit the San Francisco Neiman Marcus, which has a Becca counter. If you see the lovely Marcella, tell her I sent ya!
Marcella Faustini, Becca Artist
Mega Becca Sale on Sephora.com
Sephora.com has a huge sale on Becca cosmetics right now. I picked up the Nut Tinted Moisturizer for $10.00 (normally 40 bucks!) and the Coffee Stick Foundation for $9.75 (usually $39.00). Many items are out of stock, but you still may be able to find a lil’ something on deeeeep discount.
Have a groovy Saturday! I’m off to the gym to do some cardio.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Tue, 12/16/2008 by Karen | Posted in: MAC Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Top Posts
I don’t know if I’ll ever tire of doing smokey eyes. There are just so many different ways to work the look, like this spin on a daytime eye for work. It’s a method I learned from my favorite MAC artist, Jen, using products from the MAC Metal Urge and Red She Said collections.
I use quite a few different products for this look, but the most important MAC ones (because of their overall influence on the look) are…
For me, the easiest way to do a smokey eye is to layer textured products. Here, I layer powder eyeshadow, pigment and cream shadow.
I start by dotting Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Wheat over my entire lid. It’s a primer used here to prevent creasing and helps the eye makeup last longer.
With my finger, I blend Eye Basics evenly over the the entire lid.
Next, I load a MAC 217 Blending Brush by swiping it across the pan of Gilded Ash, and then brush the shadow onto the lid and just barely into the crease.
I repeat the previous step several times, building upon the color, and fading it from the lid into the crease.
Then, with a MAC 252 Large Shader Brush, I apply Cocomotion Pigment into the crease and use a MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush to mellow out any harsh edges.
Next, I take the 252 and sweep MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow underneath the entire brow, concentrating most of the color at the highest point of the brow’s arch.
Grabbing my trusty 224, I run the brush head along the edges of the color to soften any obvious lines.
Then, to enhance the smokey effect a little bit more, I pat the dark brown shade from the Inter-View eyeshadow trio onto the outer third of my lid with a MAC 228 Mini Shader Brush.
Continue Reading…
Tue, 11/18/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup, Product Reviews
Hustle that booty down to Tar-ghay, girlfriend, and pick yourself up a JK Jemma Kidd Fashion Palette ($36) ASAP!
A face of the day with the JK Jemma Kidd Fashion Palette
Fashion Palette appears low-key in the box, I know. But trust me, if you like effortless makeup that looks elegant and doesn’t require too much fuss, then you’ll love this palette.
The palette comes with five essential products to create a classic smokey eye and nude lip look: two large pans of eyeshadow, a mini-kohl liner and two medium-sized pans of nude lip glosses.
Thu, 05/29/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD)
So, I’m trying to figure out what makeup look to wear to the midnight Sex and the City show tonight. Purple + smokey eye = a lil’ bit out of my comfort zone, but I thought I’d give it a whirl.
Tue, 09/30/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To
I hate going to work completely tow’ up, but it seems like I’m always running late. What I need are makeup tools and tips to help me save time when I’m getting ready for work, and I think I found one: Stila Convertible Eye Color ($20).
Part Transformer, part James Bond gadget, it delivers three great tools in one — a twist-up eye pencil, a smudging sponge, and, when you twist the middle of the pen, a coordinating eye shadow.
Stila Convertible Eye Color in Violet made quick work of this smokey purple eye.
The Violet shade’s pencil is a shimmery, dark plum; the coordinating shadow is a shimmery lavender.
Isn’t she cute?
For the eye look pictured up top, I started by applying a thin layer of primer on my lids with Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
I used the eye pencil end of the Stila Convertible pen to draw a thick line on each lid, starting at the outer side of the lash line and working my way inward. I took care to apply as close to the base of the lashes as possible, right along the roots.
To diffuse the color into the crease, I gently rubbed the smudging sponge along the top of the liner, taking care to make the liner darkest near the lash line.
Sat, 01/3/2009 by Karen | Posted in: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup, Product Reviews
Yesterday I did a look with smokey plum eyes, rose cheeks and dark lips using a few products from the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy line.
Carmindy, makeup artist and author of Get Positively Beautiful: The Ultimate Guide to Looking and Feeling Gorgeous, helped develop the line for drugstores nationwide.
With natural-looking eye, lip and cheek products to subtly enhance your favorite features, you won’t find anything too blinged out or find any high fashion crazy colors here.
So far, I really like what I’ve seen, particularly the eye and lip products.
The Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy (say that five times fast!) makeup products used in this look include…
(Note: I couldn’t decide which lip shade to wear with the eyes, so I tried the look with three different lipsticks, LOL).
I start by priming my lids to prevent creasing and to help the eye makeup last longer, dotting and blending Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Wheat with a finger.
Time to add some shadow!
I apply the lid color (shimmery plum) from The Amethyst Eye Palette onto my lids and crease with a MAC 252 Large Shader Brush, and then use the same brush to sweep the highlight color (shimmery light pink) underneath my eyebrow.
For a smokey effect, I use a Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Crease Brush to apply the contour color (shimmery dark purple) to the crease and the outer v.
To finish, I grab a MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush and sweep it gently along the edges of the colors to remove any harsh lines.
To better define the eyes I line both the upper and lower lash lines with Always Perfect Liquid Eye Liner in Pure Plum using the brush applicator that comes with the product.
Continue Reading…
Thu, 06/5/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD)
This week I received some nice e-mails asking about the smokey eye makeup I wore to my lil’ brother’s graduation last weekend. This morning, I thought I’d try the full face look again.
As far as complete looks are concerned, this one is quick and easy to do. I used shades from the Chanel Winter Nights Quad, a versatile set with four basic, but pretty shades of pink, peachy gold, green and light brown. The look works well for the office or for things like family functions or semi-formals.
The corresponding shades from the Chanel Winter Nights Quad (Note: For this look, I didn’t use the pink shade):
Continue Reading…
Wed, 04/30/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup
Mama always said, “When life hands you insomnia, hide your dark circles with concealer.”
Okay, my mom didn’t actually say that because she doesn’t wear makeup (I know! The apple fell so far from the tree!).
Anyhoo, I was inspecting the purplish nether regions under my eyes this morning and feeling pretty crappy because of the whole no sleep thing, so I decided to run with it and try a purplish-brown smokey eye. The result improved my sour mood and put a lil’ spring in my step, for sure!
The shadows I used from left to right:
I haven’t been a regular user of matte shadows in the past, but I went all out with them this time. Thanks to MAC Senior Makeup Artist Jennifer Karsten’s advice, I’ve decided I’m going to work diligently to couple them with shimmer shades to create more depth in my eye makeup looks.
The color map below shows where I placed the different eyeshadows…
Trying to balance the look, I kept the lips neutral and the cheeks light.
Continue Reading…
Tue, 02/19/2008 by Karen | Posted in: MAC Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Product Reviews, Top Posts
I finally got my paws on MAC Fafi yesterday, and all I have to say is MEOW! Love it. This morning I busted out a few things from the collection — Fafi Eyes 1 Quad, Nice Vice Paint Pot and the Not So Innocent Lipstick — and created this subtle gold and black smokey eye for work.
A few days ago, after the super-spy MAC Fafi swatch mission, I fell in love with Fafi’s Paint Pots (love Nice Vice!) and lipsticks but wasn’t floored by the eyeshadow quads. I changed my tune after playing with the Fafi Eyes 1 Quad ($36) this mornin’. The colors work with my skin tone (so far the shades “Hey” and “Vanilla” are my faves), and the textures apply like butter. If you love neutral eyeshadows, I think you’ll dig this quad.
Now, on to the look! New to semi-complicated makeup? Don’t despair. If you’ve ever worn at least two eyeshadow colors at a time, then you can certainly handle this. Yes! You! Can!
Products I used to create the look…
Thu, 10/16/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup
I knew I’d be working closely with the new girl at work today, training her on our filing system and some billing stuff, so I wanted to look as polished and semi-reliable (ha!) as possible. I decided to wear this soft, smokey pink and brown eye. It has just the teeniest touch of sparkle and draws heavily on a few of MAC’s recent collections, including Emanuel Ungaro, Suite Array and Sheer Minerals.
The look was actually my second choice this morning. At first I’d wanted to wear blue, perhaps coupled with high heels, a feather boa and something with sequins, but I didn’t want to end the day thought of as the crazy chick at work, so I went with the upstanding and responsible citizen look instead.
To finish the look, I curled my lashes with my trusty Shu Uemura lash curler and added two coats of Chanel Exceptionnel mascara in Smoky Noir.
Wed, 10/29/2008 by Karen | Posted in: Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup
For one precious hour last Saturday afternoon I got in some quality me time. El Hub had gone to the bookstore for something, so I had the place to myself. I plopped down on the living room floor with a bowl of chilled grapes, started an episode of Law and Order: SVU (lovin’ ya, Detective Stabler!) on the Tivo and reached for a few items from MAC Red She Said.
My mind was racing with thoughts of Tabs and other troubles, and I needed to distract myself with something uncomplicated, like Inter-view Mineralize Eye Shadow ($17.50), Enough Said Beauty Powder Blush ($18), Quiet, Please lipstick ($14) and Miss Dynamite Dazzleglass ($17.50).
From left to right: Enough Said Beauty Powder Blush, three shades from the Interview Mineralize Eye Shadow trio
I tried this brown, bronze and navy blue smokey eye. When I was done with the look, I walked around the room by myself, pretending I was contemplating impressionist paintings in a fancy art gallery.
Here’s how I did this look…
To finish the eyes, I curled my lashes with the (legendary) Shu Uemura lash curler and added a couple coats of MAC Zoomlash mascara in Zoomblack.
