Hey, man, if you’re going to hobble around your condo at or near the speed of molasses, you may as well do it in style, and by style, I mean wearing a brown cat eye with a berry lip. 🙂
A funny thing happened in the half marathon the other day. Going up and down those San Francisco hills, my quads went completely ham.
Now I can’t go down the stairs!
Well, I can…but it takes me forever, and I almost fall every time. I can go up the stairs just fine, which is weird, but going down is a struggle.
So when the FedEx guy, who on an unrelated note is a dead-ringer for Paul Giamatti, rang the doorbell earlier today and I tried to make it downstairs, I almost didn’t.
All I could think as I desperately clung to the railing was, “Please! If I fall right now, let Paul Giamatti hear my cries and come to my aid, and if he does, please don’t have him judge me because I have chocolate in my teeth and I’m not wearing any makeup.”
Thankfully, I didn’t tumble (knocks on wood!), and I’ve figured out that if I slowly descend the stairs going backwards, I can make it to the bottom in one piece.
So, yeah. If you need me, I’ll probably be on the stairs walking backwards hella slowly. 🙂
After Paul left I actually did finish my makeup for the day… I’m wearing products from the new Shupette (SHU-PETTE!) collection in a brown cat eye liner look with gold and pink eyeshadow on my lids, pink cheeks and berry lips.
Now, I know that pink eyeshadow can be a little scary if you’re not used to it, because it can make you look like you’ve been crying and/or have just been bitten by something supernatural (vampire, werewolf, zombie, take your pick), but it can be very flattering and almost function like a neutral if you pick a middle-of-the-road pink that isn’t too pastel or bright, like the shimmery, mid-toned pink I’m wearing here, and you “frame it” (a term I just made up in my head) with neutrals.
Here I’m wearing pink eyeshadow in the center of my lid, surrounded by a light neutral gold in the inner corners, a medium gold just above the pink in the crease, a purplish brown in the outer corners and a dark golden brown on my lash line. I don’t know why, but framing the pink eyeshadow like this seems to make it much easier to wear.
Try it sometime, and let me know how it turns out. If you’re inspired, send me a selfie! (Perhaps with your cat, as Tabs and I always like to see yo’ kittehs.)
The full makeup breakdown (many of the products are from the Shupette for Shu Uemura holiday collection)…
EYES
- Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Gold — base
- Shu Uemura Dark Gold Eyeshadow from the Shupette Has-It-All Palette — all over lid
- Shu Uemura Pink Eyeshadow from the Eye-Need-Shu Trio 02 — center of the lid
- Shu Uemura Brown Eyeshadow in Eye-Need-Shu Trio 02 — outer corner and lower lash line
- Shu Uemura Light Gold Eyeshadow from the Eye-Need-Shu Trio 02 — brow bone
- Shu Uemura Eye-Need-Shu Liner in Gala Brown — upper lash line
- MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy — upper and lower water line
- Shu Uemura Pampearl-Me Face Powder — inner corner
- Marc Jacobs O! Mega Lash Mascara — upper and lower lashes
BROWS
- Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in Espresso
- Anastasia Clear Brow Gel
FACE
- MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Primer
- Smashbox Pore Minimizing Photo Finish Foundation Primer
- Laura Mercier Flawless Fluide Foundation in Chai
- NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Biscuit
- YSL Touche Eclat in 4.5
Cheeks
- Shu Uemura Silk Cushion Cheek in Pink — blush
- Shu Uemura Pampearl-Me Face Powder — highlight
LIPS
- Shu Uemura Dark Plum Lipstick from the Shupette-Has-It-All Palette
Your friendly neighborhood (temporarily hobbled) beauty addict,
Karen
MonicaP says
Very pretty. I’ll have to try layering a dark brown over a bright pink .. I love this look .. and perhaps I can put that Naked3 to work!
Monica.
Karen says
Hi Monica,
Oh, you could definitely do something similar with Naked3! When you do your look send me a pic. I would love to see it!
Shannon says
Such a pretty look! Love the combination of pink, brown and gold, and the berry lipstick is the perfect complement 🙂
Karen says
Thank you, Shannon!
What makeup did you wear today? Tabs hopes your answer is cat eyes. 🙂
Agata says
I have been looking for a new Brown liner that’s softer and not as harsh as black. Mac Teddy looks like a good candidate I think.
Karen says
It’s beautiful on the water lines. I think Costa Riche would look great with your eyes, too.
Kwmechelle says
I don’t curse….until I come to your site, that is, because all of your looks are so fierce. I’ve got the Naked3 (and I adore it) but I’ve yet to find a middle of the road brown shadow (or blush) to contour & create a brown smokey eye. If you’ve got any recs, I’d love to hear them. Bee-U-t-Ful look. Logging this as a makeup look to try. Oh, I’m NC50 in MAC, for reference.
Deanna says
Another stunning look, Karen! The 02 trio is the one that appeals to me the most, but I’m going for the big has-it-all palette. I’ve never tried Shu Uemura products before so I figure that’s a good place to start.
Rae // theNotice says
KAREN.
Michaela says
Karen, you know how to combine those eyeshadow colors! I like how the pink, gold, & brown come together for a holiday look without looking too glittery. This is one of my favorite posts.
May says
Karen, I love the colour combination!
Amy says
Hey there, may I know if you are still using Milk of Magnesia to prime your face before applying makeup? I am really interested in trying out MOM on my own, but am concerned about the negative comments on its pH level reacts to skin breakouts.
Kiss & Make-up says
That eye look is just amazing, Karen, stunning! Loving the feline fierceness!
Kim says
HAHA! Show me your Kitties. I see what you did there. 😉
I like this color combo and, coincidentally, one of my eye freebies was a 3 shadow “palette” of beige, taupe and pink with a handy tutorial. I’m planning to give it a try this weekend. I know, you keeled over from the shock. 🙂
Keep stretching those quads – I hope you’ll be back to normal soon. That’s usually my problem, too. Going up isn’t an issue but coming down is killer! I usually do the sideways shuffle with a quiet “ouch” with every step. Btw, Paul must love delivering to you! UPS guys should blog. HAHA!
Fran says
Beautiful look, I will have to try it, or at least something close! I do have trouble using pink eyeshadow. The best luck I’ve had is with using a really intense pink like Too Faced’s Totally Fetch (in the Pretty Rebel palette) as an accent color in the outer V. I’ve had difficulty using paler pinks in a flattering way so far. They look great on my cheeks, but not on my lids or even my lips — darker pinks seem to look better on me.
gio says
Beautiful! Love the colour combo!
Tatiana says
Absolutely gorgeous eye look! I never thought to put pink with brown… but this is stunning! Thanks for the idea!
If you have a foam roller, it helps to roll your quads on it, then stretch. It will help to loosen the muscles up and get them back to normal. A soak in a warm bath usually helps too.
Metta says
Soooo pretty! Now I’m tempted to snatch the Eye need Shu set. I love what you did with the pink I am going to have to copy this look. But everytime I try to re-create a look sometimes I end up going through endless makeup remover wipes and my poor eyes are raw 🙁 , oh well I always need an excuse to go to the MAC counter, Ulta, CVS etc, LOL.
Karen says
Hi Metta,
You can do it. Just keep practicing and you’ll get it eventually! I sometimes need a few makeup wipes to make things work, but after some practice it always gets better!
How long have you been into makeup? I’ve been wearing it for a long time (started when I was a teenager, aka ages ago!).
Metta says
I’ve been into makeup for about 11 yrs but didn’t really get into it(as in buying the expensive goodies ie., ysl,Tom ford etc.) up until four yrs ago. But I tell ya me and makeup, it’s like the heavens open up and violen music plays when I lay my eyes on it. It’s so addictive!
Stefi says
Hi Karen!
Your makeup looks soo pretty and I just love pink on you! Tabs really is a catmodel, that picture is too funny 🙂
Love, Stefi
http://www.brighteyesandglossylips.com
Lena says
karen, that’s a breathtaking piece of blending! gorgeous! must emulate!
Trude says
So lovely! I’ve found the same thing, since I’m so pinky-red to begin with I have to be careful, but I love doing a plummy-pink eye paired with browns.
Miaow says
Hi Karen
In the post where you first reviewed NARS radiant concealer you used ginger and in this one you have used biscuit. Just wanted to know which one you prefer for your skin tone as I’m a very similar tone to you, maybe a little more yellow but with very dark circles…
Thanks 🙂