Clinique

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique All About Shadow Quad in Teddy Bear

August 2nd, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

clinique teddy bear — “Yeah, don’t even TRY to take my palette. I’m warning you!”

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

One of these Teddy Bears is not like the other (and it’s more comfy to hug).

But right now, I’m talking about the makeup one, and it’s a quad of all-matte eyeshadows from Clinique. If I were a betting gal…I’d wager that the Clinique All About Shadow Quad in Teddy Bear is probably better than the other neutral palette in your makeup bag, and it’s the most “neutral” of the neutral palettes I wear. The shadows are neither too warm nor too cool (they’re in the coveted Goldilocks Zone), and there’s very little burnt orange, brick red, gray or pink undertones in sight.

clinique teddy bear swatches — Yup, still an NC42 in MAC

The powder shadows in Teddy Bear are just as soft as the bear at the top of this post, and Clinique stuffed it with all of the basics to contour lids and add depth to eyes, including a matte beige bone, a matte golden brown, a peachy golden tan and a dark chocolate brown. In MAC-speak, I’d call these the matte (so, neither warm nor cool) equivalents of Brule, Soba, Soft Brown and Brown Down.

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Two $22 Liquid Liners Worthy of Wings

June 17th, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

urban decay perversion waterproof liner — Easy to use and won’t quit on you.

I worked out hard for an hour at the crack of dawn, then showered in water hot enough to melt bones, AND THEN I gallivanted for an entire day wearing black cat-colored PERVERSION Waterproof Fine-Point liquid liner Eye Pen by Urban Decay, and not once did I look in the mirror and think, “Ew, gross… I should probably take this off.”

I’m now 100% convinced that I could enter my final resting pyramid (with all of my kitty companions, of course), explore the afterworld for 2,000 years, and then be discovered with my cat eye flicks shiny, glossy, pitch black and totally intact. Yes, this liner is that serious.

First, I should say that I’m a Clinique liquid liner fan through and through because of how easy it is to draw crisp edges with their flexible pen tip. I also love that their formula isn’t too runny and goes exactly where I want it to go. IMO, it’s the overall best liquid liner around, but I think UD PERVERSION is very nearly equally great. It matches Clinique’s iconic status, and it’s just as easy to use, but the final look has even more oomph. It’s blacker than Clinique’s, too, with a high shine finish vs. Clinique’s demi-matte, so it draws attention in a way Clinique’s does not.

Interestingly, both of them are also $22.

UD’s dries quicker, so you don’t have quite as much time to fix wonky wings, although you can always correct them with a Q-tip dipped in an oil-based remover, of course, or do what I do, which is just say, “Eff it” and go with it, man. Not everything’s gotta be Insta-perfect, and most of the time nobody’s gonna notice anyway, unless your wings are, like, totally perpendicular, LOL!

All told, I’d recommend the Clinique one if you want a subtle black liquid liner that’s totally foolproof, and the UD one if you want to make a bolder statement.

Either way, though, you can’t go wrong.

BOMB bread at Trader Joe’s

Now that’s a phrase I never thought I’d type, since almost all of the sliced bread I’ve ever gotten from TJ’s (with the exception of the brioche) has been nothing short of tragic.

trader joes organic whole wheat bread — Hella good

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A Detailed Deep Dive Into My Current Skincare Routine

April 25th, 2019 by Karen 27 Comments

current skin care top pic — All about retinol these days, babes.

I’ve been meaning to do an updated skin care routine breakdown, and today seems like a good day for it. But before I jump in, I feel like I should let you that I’m standing in my bathroom right now looking into my cabinet, which stands just behind and above the toilet, and having PTSD flashbacks of my Velvet Teddy lipstick falling into the toilet. 🙄

I keep hearing that *plunk* over and over again…

That said, here we go!

Everything I’m doing in my routine now revolves around how sensitive my skin is feeling on any given day, because I started using a retinol with vitamin C recently. It’s called Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C Power Serum, and I’m trying to ramp up slowly to be able to use it seven days a week. Right now, I’m at three days, and I find that introducing it slowly over weeks and watching everything else that I use in conjunction with it allows me to keep going without my skin turning red or freaking out.

Morning routine

In the morning, I’ll wash one of two ways. If my skin’s feeling extra tight and red and sensitive and angry, then I’ll do a few splashes of warm water on my bare face, then gently blot with a towel. If, on the other hand, my skin’s feeling OK, then I’ll use a squirt or two of Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser directly on bare skin (I’ll work it in with my fingers). Then I’ll remove it with a washcloth dampened with warm water. After that, I’ll do a few splashes of ice cold water to help me wake up.

At that point, I’ll wait…usually between 30 minutes and an hour (depends on how much time I have and what I’m doing in the morning), and then I’ll apply all of my skin treatments.

I wait because I want my skin to be completely dry before I put anything aggressive on there, because if I don’t wait, and my skin is wet when I apply a BHA or benzoyl peroxide, they’ll just aggravate it even more.

So. Completely dry!

current skin care routine — It’s less complicated than it looks, I swear!

At that point, I’ll do an eye cream. (Right now I’m using this one by Nyakio, and I think it’s just “eh.” I’ll replace it eventually with something else when I get around it.) Then I’ll use two pumps of my ride-or-die Kate Somerville Anti Bac Acne Clearing Lotion all over my face to prevent the pimples from taking over.

After that, I’ll apply a thin layer of Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream (which has been my skin savior ever since I introduced the retinol), followed by a healthy dollop of sunscreen, specifically Clinique Super Defense Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 for Very Dry to Dry Combination Skin.

Sometimes, before I do the two pumps of Anti Bac, if I feel like my skin can handle it, I’ll do a little with Fresh Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence, just because I like to sneak some exfoliation in during the day if I can. I’ll do that two or three mornings a week, so it’s not an everyday thing for me.

Fast forward to the evening…

First, a double cleanse. On completely dry skin (as in my makeup is still on), I’ll massage an oil cleanser on my face and eyes to break everything down. I like DHC Deep Cleansing Oil or Fresh Seaberry for this.

At that point, I’ll take a clean, warm washcloth and gently wipe everything off. Next, I’ll do a second cleanse with either Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser, if I haven’t been wearing a ton of makeup, or if I haven’t been sweating; or the H2O Plus Elements Keep It Fresh Cleanser. I use that one when I’ve been wearing a little more makeup, or if I’ve been perspiring a lot. It’s just a stronger, more potent gel cleanser.

Again, I wait from 30-60 minutes (this generally depends on how tired I am), then apply eye cream, and I’ve been using this one called Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Supercharged Complex.

It’s OK… I’ve yet to find an eye cream that blows my mind.
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10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: Clinique Lots O’ Latte

April 8th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

I swear to you…I don’t just love the Clinique Lots O’ Latte ($18.50) cream shadow stick because it’s named after a coffee drink, although that might have a bit to do with it.

Mostly, I like wearing this semi-sheer neutral golden taupe because it makes my lids glow with a lovely luminous sheen.

If Fuller Fudge is my Clinique cream shadow for sultry and smoky lids, then Lots O’ Latte is the one I wear for polished and professional. Like with Fuller Fudge, when you swipe it directly on your lids, then quickly blend it with your finger or a fluffy domed brush like a 217, then add liner and mascara, your eye makeup is DONE.

I think it totally works well for big nights out, too. Just add false lashes and a bright lip. Side note: You can pretty much wear it with any warm or cool lipstick of your choice, which is another added bonus.

clinique lots o latte swatch — Swatch out for this NC42 arm!

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10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush

April 2nd, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

clinique blushing blush powder blush cupid — Love this blush for fast, fresh makeup! The lipstick is MAC Velvet Teddy, and the eyeshadow is Clinique Lots o’ Latte, by the way.

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

Five minute, 10 minute… Heck — three-minute makeup! You can do it *all* with Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush ($24 each). These totally goof-proof powder blushes are fantastic for those out-the-door days, which I’ve come to love and appreciate lately.

You may have noticed that I’ve been wearing shade Sunset Glow a lot lately (like, all last week!). It’s a beautiful golden coral with a satin finish, and the magic behind this (and all of the blushes in this family) is that it’s semi-transparent, meaning that you can take your blush brush, dip it into the pan, do a swish or two on your cheek, a quick blend at the edges, and be totally and completely done. You won’t be stuck erasing a hard line of demarcation at the edges of your cheeks. Instead, you’ll find a soft, subtle gradient, and it almost just happens naturally if you load a brush with this blush and gently tap-tap-tap it a few times on your cheek. It’s like powder blush for dummies!

clinique blushing blush powder blush sunset glow cupid swatches — Built these up so you could see what they look like when they’re layered heavily. I’m an NC42 in MAC, but I think both of these blushes will look lovely on most skin tones.

And HELLO, flexibility. If I’m ever in the mood for more color on my cheeks, all I have to do is pop another layer or two on, because these blushes also build up beautifully.
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