“Aww, you’re not smiling in this pic. Get back there and take it again.”
– DMV Picture Lady

Nope, I wasn’t smiling. I was at the DMV this afternoon for what felt like ages, breathing in the scent of humanity — which, by the way, smelled like a mix of cigarettes, man funk, greasy roots and barbeque potato chips — and listening to teenagers fight with their mothers (was I ever that bratty? I’m pretty sure I was, sigh).

I was fussy because, you know, the DMV, and because I ended up not having enough time to put on false lashes before going (boo!).

Eyes: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot (lids), NARS Cyprus Eyeshadow (lids), NARS Galapagos Eyeshadow (outer third and lower lash line), MAC Bare Minimum Eye Shadow (brow bone), Dior Diorshow Artpen Liquid Liner (upper lash line), Bobbi Brown Jet Liner (waterlines), Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara in Prune (upper and lower lashes)

My new fave makeup look…

Hello and welcome to the hump! I’ve been awake since the crack of dawn because your nephew has figured out a new way to annoy me.

A good 30 minutes before my alarm’s supposed to go off, he claws at the side of the mattress so that I’ll wake up and feed him the gravy he so richly deserves.

Feel my wrath, woman

Tabs isn’t exactly a kitty rocket scientist, but when it comes to food, the gears in his tiny brain churn just enough for him to put two and two together. Ah, the joys of pet assisting a plus-size diva super star…

Needless to say, I’m feeling like I need an extra jump start to go along with the coffee this morning, so I’m thinking about re-creating the same look I wore in the Too Faced Better Than False Lashes post from the beginning of the week. I feel extra sassy when I’ve got this makeup on, and it’s my new favorite look.

I guess you must like it too, because I’ve gotten a lot of requests for a step-by-step breakdown. So here it is!

Since it was a post for Better Than False Lashes (by the way, have you entered the giveaway yet?), I’m wearing mostly Too Faced makeup.

Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight (primer)
Too Faced Framboise eye shadow from the Shadow Bon Bons Palette (lids and lower lash lines)
Too Faced Endless Summer 16 Hour Long-Wear Bronzer (crease)
Too Faced Licorice Glitz and Burnt Sugar eye shadows from the Love Sweet Love Palette (outer third)
Too Faced Peach Fuzz eye shadow from the Summer Eyes Palette (brow bones)
Too Faced Nude Beach eye shadow from the Shadow Bon Bons Palette (inner corners)
Too Faced Cinnamon Sugar eye shadow from the Shadow Bon Bons Palette (lower lash lines)
Too Faced Better Than False Lashes (upper lashes)
Bobbi Brown Jet layered with MAC Rich Experience (water lines)
MAC Concrete Eye Shadow (brows)

Cheeks

Too Faced Endless Summer 16 Hour Long-Wear Bronzer (just below cheekbones)
Too Faced Pink Caramel and Lollipop blushes from the Love Sweet Love Palette (apples)

Lips

Too Faced Perfect Lips Liner in Perfect Pink
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Juicy Melons

Also, today’s the last day of the Better Than False Lashes giveaway, so if you haven’t already entered, head on over right away! You don’t want to miss out.

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday, and I’ll talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. What makeup are you wearing today? Tell me about your look in the comments.

Too Faced Summer Eyes Summer Sexy Shadow Collection

Dear Insomnia,

I think we need a break… Our relationship isn’t working. I’m just not that into you.

Love,
MBB

My mom always says to look on the bright side, so looking at things that way, the fact that I couldn’t fall asleep last night was a good thing, because it allowed me to finally watch the new episode of Southland (one of the best shows on TV!!).

While watching it I realized that 1) if I ever meet Ben Mckenzie in real life, there better be a fainting couch nearby because I’d probably swoon, and 2) he’s on twitter, which gives me another place to follow him.

Another silver lining to last night’s insomnia? It gave me extra motivation to do a bright, glowing makeup look today with golds, tans and corals — some of my favorite colors these days.

Two new products play starring roles in this look — the brown, coral and gold eye shadows from the “Classic” row in the new Summer Eyes Palette from Too Faced and the coral NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi. And on my cheeks, that’s good ol’ Chanel Frivole.

By the way, if you were thinking that the Summer Eye Palette looked familiar, then good eye! The same palette was released last year but on a very small scale. Too Faced decided to re-release it this year with a new shade (Seashell, instead of last year’s Sugar Sand) to let fans who missed it get their paws on it now.

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A full breakdown of yesterday’s Aerin Beauty Casis Gloss review from start to finish

Thanks for the great feedback on yesterday’s Aerin Beauty Casis Gloss review, my friend.

There were quite a few requests in the comments for a full breakdown of the look, so here it is!

I always enjoy switching things up, so for this look, I used products I already had in my makeup bag, but in a slightly different way.

The tweaks? I wore a full-coverage foundation all over my face (not just on my chin, which is what I usually do), used two face primers (a trick I recently learned from a Sephora artist) and added some highlighting and contouring.

Before we jump in, let me just say how this was kind of a long process. There was a lot of layering, blending and buffing from start to finish. Wish I could say that I whipped this out in five minutes, but it took more like 45, LOL!

Not the quickest makeup look around, I know. If I were running to TJ’s to buy Buttermilk Pancake Mix, I probably wouldn’t go there, but for pics or maybe a party, I’d do it again, assuming I had time.

Okay, here we go — all of the makeup products in order, from start to finish.

1. Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet (face)
2. SK-II Skin Signature Eye Cream (lids and under-eye area)
3. MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Face Primer (forehead, cheeks, nose, chin and around my mouth)
4. BECCA Rejuvenating Primer (forehead, cheeks, nose, chin and around my mouth)
5. NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (lids)

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Wearing the new NARS And God Created The Woman Palette on my eyes

Oh, twist my arm, why don’t ya?!

That’s what I said to one of the Sephora gals who mentioned they were offering Valentine’s Day makeovers today.

I figured it would be a good chance to hang out, try some new products and play a little hooky. ‘Cause, ya know, I’m all about playing hooky multitasking.

When I sat down in the chair, Chelsea, the makeup artist who did this look (thank you, Chelsea!), asked me what I had in mind. I told her my makeup mantra (“No fear!”) and that she could do whatever she wanted, just as long as she incorporated the palette from the new NARS And God Created the Woman Set.

She used a mix of products from NARS, Too Faced, Make Up For Ever, Benefit, Kat Von D and Sephora.

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