Makeup

A Little Bit of MAC Club

December 4th, 2024 by Karen 4 Comments

I’m hesitant to say that I’ve got my makeup mojo back because I feel like the moment that I say that I’ll revert to just wearing brow pencil and tinted sunscreen for three years, as one does, but I’m gonna go ahead and risk it and say that it all started with a little bit of Club.

You know, MAC Club eyeshadow? Of course you do. It’s a classic.

Last week, out of nowhere, I thought to myself, “I really need to wear Club.” It’s been years since I’ve wanted to deal with complicated eye makeup, but I got the urge, so I went with it.

My makeup collection is pretty barren compared to the thick of MBB’s beauty blogging days, but I’ve held on to this ancient Monster’s Bride palette from —I don’t even wanna say the year. LOL! I’ve always loved the shadows, especially Club.

I took a little bit of Club, popped it on my lids and smoothed out the edges with a fluffy brush dipped in face powder.

Oh, and this is when I figured out that you can leave behind the urge to blend eight different eyeshadows on your lids, but you cannot leave behind the urge to smooth out your eyeshadow edges into a nice gradient, ha ha ha!

Anyway, like I said, Club. It will forever be etched into my heart as the eyeshadow that helped me get at least a little bit of my makeup mojo back. Since that day last week, I’ve felt like putting at least one shade on my lids. I figure that it’s not too hard, right? I can do that. Plus, I want to do it.

So yeah, lately I’ve been wearing one shade of eyeshadow from my lash line up until my mid crease area, and you know what? It makes me so, so happy.

And that’s all I really want for makeup, you know? I just want it to make me feel happy when I wear it.

I want to feel good when I have it on, and for right now a little bit of MAC eyeshadow feels really good.

Wish me lots of makeup luck, and I’ll send lots your way, too because why not? ‘Tis the season to wear a little eyeshadow!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Little Moments of Magic

April 25th, 2024 by Karen 4 Comments

I’ve been trying to recognize small moments of wonder throughout my week. Here’s some small moments of magic that’ve happened so far!

1. A good makeup day with Westman Atelier

Lately, before work, I only have about 5-10 minutes, max, to paint my face. Honestly, sometimes my makeup comes out kinda dicey but doable, but other times, like this week, it’s been really nice, all thanks to the foundation stick and the blush and lip cream from Westman Atelier. Both things made it entirely possible to look chic and pulled together in no time at all.

I wear the shade Atelier VI in the foundation stick, and the lip and cheek cream I’ve got is a bright, warm pink called Poppet. It looks good with bronze eyeshadow, by the way.

Um, and yeah, that’s me sitting in my car waiting to go into the office. I like to get there early, so I don’t have to feel rushed in the morning. Anywho, I had a really good makeup day yesterday!

2. Butterflies everywhere I look

I was on campus and ran into the most beautiful monarch butterfly. She was huge and stopped by right in front of me on the grass to say hello.

We hung out for a couple minutes before she went on her merry way.

3. A bright spot in the neighborhood

There’s a house here in town that’s been doing fun displays in their front yard, and earlier this week I ran into their newest one, which includes characters from “Winnie the Pooh,” one of my favorite books when I was young.

I love how Tigger, Pooh and his friends look like they’re playing in a garden.

They’re also hosting a book fair and bake sale soon, too. So fun!

Have you had any small moments of magic this week?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Lip of the Day: The Newly Reformulated MAC Maximal Velvet Teddy, Eclipse Adventures and What’s for Lunch

April 9th, 2024 by Karen 7 Comments

First things first, I’m not mad at the newly reformulated Velvet Teddy Maximal Lipstick by MAC. I know!

I thought I’d be grumpy about it after taking Sweet Deal for a spin last week and feeling underwhelmed by the experience, but the wear time on Velvet Teddy 2.0 is almost as good as the original, and it’s less drying on my lips.

If Velvet Teddy is a frequent flyer in your makeup rotation, don’t worry. This new version does alright.

Secondly, I totally forgot to mention the eclipse when I was writing the Monday Poll yesterday morning. I didn’t remember it until I saw a couple of telescopes and various eclipse-related accoutrements on campus.

I was oddly thrilled by the low-tech things, including the shadows created by the colander and by the eclipse glasses.

Did you catch it at all yesterday? I hope you did because even though we didn’t get totality here in Northern California, it was still very cool.

Last but not least, a totally random question. What’s for lunch today? I’m mostly asking on behalf of my tum. LOL!

I’ve been coming home for lunch lately, and to save time, I usually set aside some leftovers or make a sandwich the night before so I can just walk through the door and gobble something down. I didn’t do that last night, though, so I have no lunch plans yet. I need some inspo!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Lip of the Day: MAC Sweet Deal Maximial Lipstick

April 2nd, 2024 by Karen 6 Comments

There are some things one could always rely on like the sun rising and setting, internet cats doing silly things, chin hairs spontaneously sprouting in the middle of a meeting and MAC matte lipsticks gripping onto one’s lips for dear life.

That feeling of the distinct MAC matte formula cemented to my pout—there was nothing like it!

MAC’s newly reformulated take on matte lippie via the MAC Maximal lipsticks removes that “grippy” feeling that made MAC lipsticks so long lasting. I’m wearing the shade Sweet Deal here, by the way. It’s a neutral pink.

In some ways, this new version is refreshing. It’s so lightweight that I often forget that I’m wearing it. It’s comfortable, and the matte finish is so smooth and beautiful—a modern take on matte, even. But it just doesn’t last as long. I drink a cup of coffee and it’s gone.

I used to apply an OG MAC Matte lippie in the morning and it would still be around after lunch. I think when they decided to swap the old formula in lieu of this new version, they decided that ladies and gents and everyone in between wouldn’t mind the limited wear time.

I miss the ability to put my lipstick on and just forget about it for a few hours, but I guess some things never change, including the desire to reformulate a perfectly good lipstick.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: Taylor Swift Week, Red Lip Drama and Work Things

January 26th, 2024 by Karen 11 Comments

On Sunday, Connor declared that it was going to be Taylor Swift week at our house, so we’ve been listening to Taylor Swift music all week long. My new favorite Taylor song is “Bejeweled.”

It’s one of those songs that took a while to grow on me. When I first heard it, I thought, “Eh, it’s okay,” but the more I listened to it, the more I liked it.

I also wore red lipstick every day to work as a homage to T-Swift! In the pic above I’m wearing MAC Retro Matte in Feels so Grand.

You know how sometimes when you put on red lipstick, one side looks a little wonky, so you try to correct it, and then next thing you know, the other side looks wonky, and you correct the other side, but then another part starts to look funny, and it goes on and on and on? That’s what happened here. Miraculously, it eventually worked out, and I made it to work on time.

Speaking of work, it’s been going great. I enjoy helping instructors and students, and every once in a while I get to flex my writing and editing skills.

The pace is very different compared to what I’m used to in marketing/creative in the private sector. People actually hang out, ya know, at the water cooler. It’s so wild to me, especially after years of solely interacting socially on Zoom. When you work online, there’s never really that time to just run into someone in the hallway or the break room and chat. It’s refreshing.

I do find, though, that even though I enjoy the social aspects of the job, that I need time to be by myself throughout the day. Occasionally I’ll go into my office and just retreat (I call it “hermit crabbing”) for a while so I can be alone.

Speaking of offices, I recently realized that there are things about shared office spaces that I haven’t had to think about in forever.

(TMI moment ahead, by the way.)

I used to eat whatever I wanted during lunch because it was just me and Rosie at home, but now that there’s other people in the mix — forget about it.

I realized that there are certain, ahem, gassy foods I now have to avoid at lunch if I’m going to be amongst other people. One cannot just eat lentil soup without suffering the consequences!

The other day I brought an eggroll in a bowl dish with tons of shredded cabbage, and it was so hard to, uh, keep things to myself, if you know what I mean.

Did I mention that I share an office with someone, and we have a window that can’t open? HA HA HA!

Anywho, overall work’s been fine. It’s such a big weight off my shoulders knowing that I have something steady that’s not going anywhere (knock on wood because you never know).

It’s allowed my mind to have lots more mental space to be creative.

Hope things are going well with you. Happy Friday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Really Important Things (Not Really) That I Think About When I’m Washing Makeup Brushes

January 17th, 2024 by Karen 4 Comments

I found a stash of Keurig coffee cups at the office. They’re squirreled away in a cabinet that’s supposed to contain stuff for everyone to use, but I don’t think most people would bother to check it. I wanna be a team player and tell my office mates about the stash, but I also want to have ALL THAT COFFEE to myself, ha ha ha!

Also, I really can’t hang with this rainy weather. I keep telling myself that longer days are just around the corner, but it’s been gray and dreary a lot here, and I just wanna feel the sun on my skin and be outside in warm, fresh air.

If you’re feeling the rain and wanna set a moody a vibe, though, FYI, I just discovered a really lovely rainy day song called “Glitter” by Patrick Droney. The perfect type of bittersweet song for a cozy afternoon.

Oh! At lunch today, I realized that “Trader Joe’s Salad Hacks” should totally be a thing. Today, I had their pre-packaged Pasadena salad, which is pretty good on its own (chopped romaine, slivered almonds, chicken, and the crunchy white bits you’d find in a Chinese chicken salad). But I found out it’s even better when you add a scoop of crispy chickpeas (highly recommend the Sea Salt flavor by Biena) and a scoop of hemp hearts. It was SUPER GOOD, and it held me over for hours.

Completely not related to salad at all, but I ran out of brow pencil a few days ago, and I’m contemplating going back to the Chanel Boy brow pencil I was using and loving a while back. I’ve been all doing old school Anastasia Brow Wiz for the last few months and it’s fine, I guess, but you know how it goes. One gets itchy to swap out the same-o-same-o for something different. At least I do, ha!

Speaking of Chanel, I’ve been thinking about their awesome red nail polishes because I saw a reel on Instagram where a gal talked about wearing short red nails for a whole year. A WHOLE YEAR!

Can you even imagine, in this day and age, with all the access to different colors that we have, doing short red nails for an entire year?

She made a good case for it, though, and said that it freed her up from spending any time having to make nail polish decisions, and that she always felt chic, and that red goes with most everything. I’m thinking of trying it, but I’m definitely not ready to commit to a whole year. Maybe three months? I’ve been slacking when it comes to manicures and hoping this will get me back in the groove.

What’s going on with you? I hope life is treating you well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Lip of the Day | Laura Mercier Louise | The Best Christmas Present, Ever

December 15th, 2023 by Karen 23 Comments

I saw this glass at a local gift shop and nearly short circuited in the middle of the store!

If you know, you know.

So, I know I’ve been quiet this week. Beyond the usual last-minute Christmas stuff that one deals with at this time (wrapping, gift hunting, card writing and feeding all the humans in your immediate orbit because everyone is so hungry ALL THE TIME), I’ve also been fighting a cold and dealing with lots of paperwork because, drumroll please, I’m starting a new job in January.

*Insert happy dance here.*

Seriously, the relief of having a steady gig is the best Christmas present ever!

I’ll be working at a college doing a mix of marketing, editing, writing and administrative duties, which include interacting with students and professors (I almost wrote “purr-fessors,” ha). I’ll get to work with the public, which I think takes advantage of social skills I’ve always had but haven’t really used since I’ve been freelance writing from home. Anywho, it’s close to Connor’s school, the hours are great for a working mom, and the benefits are insanely good.

THE BENEFITS, omg. Retirement! Healthcare coverage! Union membership! Paid time off!

I almost cried when I read about them, for real.

Side note, you know you’ve crossed a bridge when benefits excite you. LOL!

Anywho, I can safely say — I’m really, really happy. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to say that, but I am.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, ha ha ha. 🙂

All this rambling to lead up to today’s lip of the day!

It’s a vivid yellow pink that reads more as a bright red on my lips, Laura Mercier Louise, another beauty from her twist-up line of soft matte lip pencils.

I think it’s a fun and festive color. Give it a swatch if you happen to be at a Laura Mercier counter.

Before I head out, I have to share this song with you because it’s been stuck in my head all week long. It’s “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro, and the senior competitive dance team at Connor’s studio is dancing to it.

Love it

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Are ya done with all your holiday shopping and wrapping?

Lip of the Day | Laura Mercier Chloé

December 13th, 2023 by Karen 9 Comments

I’m still on a bright lip kick! Today’s beautiful warm red is 381 Chloé by Laura Mercier, and it’s from her Petal Soft Lipstick Crayon collection, a line of twist-up matte lipsticks.

I like this line of matte lippies because the finish is flat but not harsh. You get the matte effect without the heaviness of a true flat matte. The brights are also vivid but not overwhelmingly intense; I think it’s an approachable way to do reds, corals and hot pinks.

Anyway, I’m really enjoying taking pics outside lately because of all the festive holiday decorations in my neighborhood.

Case in point — if you stand in front of a tree with ornaments you kinda look like you’re surrounded by glittery floating planets!

I love this tiny Santa in my neighbor’s yard. Is he just arriving? Or is he leaving? Only Santa knows, I guess!

Oh, and if you happen to see a red berry wreath and you stand in front of it at a certain angle, you can look like you’re wearing a crown that magical forest creatures made especially for you.

I’m about to take this red lip on the road with me to do some Christmas errands. 🙂

Have a great rest of your Wednesday, and if you’re so inclined, feel free to share your lip of the day color in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen