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Laura Mercier

FOTD: Elegant Rose Quartz Gemstone Lids With a Smokey Bronze Lower Lash Line

September 16th, 2020 by Karen 22 Comments

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

I wore this look to drop Connor off at her dance class (she’s taking outdoor classes two days a week now, and yay for seeing other kids her age!), and then to go to Trader Joe’s, because doing that kind of regular everyday stuff is the adult equivalent of going to your high school senior prom now. (Dance studio drop-off IS AN EVENT. Ya gotta do it up!)

I took the new Urban Decay Stoned Vibes Palette for a spin for the first time in this look. It’s a new palette with 12 powder eyeshadows, the majority of them with this chonky-looking glitter formula that has a bit of squish to it. They look like they could potentially look like you’re wearing big flakes of glitter on your skin, but there was hardly any floof, fallout or flakes when I got Tiger’s Eye on my lids. The formula applies smoother than I expected it to, but you get WHOA, WHOA, WHOOOOOA levels of shimmer.

So…Urban Decay isn’t shy about their 420 references, but in this case I think “Stoned Vibes” actually refers to, ya know…gemstones, although Tiger’s Eye looks nothing like a stone on my eyelids. It’s a lovely pinkish bronze (heavy on the pink!), which is why I paired it with rose cheeks and lips.

OH! — I gotta point out the lower lash line. I’m wearing MAC Teddy, yet again, because apparently this fall is going to be my greatest hits tour of Teddy smoked along the lower lash line. I just kinda forgot how great it is when worn that way?! It’s fantastic.

I think I’m going to do a look with the purples in this palette (it’s $54, BTW) next because they remind me of my birth month gemstone, Alexandrite…which leads me to a question for you!

What’s your birth month gem? Drop it in the comments, along with any Qs you might have about the palette or this look, if you have ’em. As usual, the full breakdown of products is down below.

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty
Hey, that arm’s an NC42!
urban decay stoned palette wander beauty
Key products worn in this look

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty

Makeup worn in this look

EYES

  • NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium — all over the lids as a base
  • Urban Decay Stoned Palette Eyeshadows — Good Karma (brow bone), Antidote (crease), Hexed (outer crease), Third eye (outer v), Tiger’s Eye (lids, applied with finger)
  • MAC Whisper of Gilt — inner corner highlight
  • Urban Decay Brow Blade in Dark Drapes and MAC Clear Brow Set — brows
  • MAC Teddy — lower lash line
  • Honest Beauty Liquid Liner — winged liner
  • Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara — lashes

CHEEKS

  • Laura Mercier Soleil 1 — bronzer
  • Laura Mercier Rose — blush

LIPS

  • Wander Beauty B.B. and Riviera Dual Lipstick — mixed together

BASE

  • Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Face Oil — prep
  • Laura Mercier Foundation primer — prep
  • Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in Tan — foundation, all over face
  • Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural Concealer in Medium 05 and 06 — under eyes, cheeks and around mouth
  • Laura Mercier Translucent Honey Loose Powder — forehead, down the sides of nose, around mouth and along the jawline

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Face of the Day (FOTD), Laura Mercier, Lips, Makeup, Urban Decay, Wander Beauty

FOTD: A Clean Makeup Look With Chocolate Wings and Matte Peach and Pink Tones

September 2nd, 2020 by Karen 23 Comments

mac mull it over powder kiss liquid lipcolour k front smile
Forever loving and wearing peachy pink and chocolate brown tones!

Yesterday was a good day because 1) I managed to put on some makeup, and I felt really good about it (especially the base, because dang, it’s been a minute since I’ve mixed and layered and just played, ya know?), and 2) I did something almost, well…normal.

Connor’s fall dance classes started yesterday, so I took her to her dance studio for the first time since February? March? I can’t remember. It’s been a loooong time.

Underneath that mask is a smile a mile wide!

It’s still hard for me to believe it was somewhere we went every week for two years…

Anyway, she started doing outdoor, socially-distanced dance classes this week, so for the first time in six months I dropped her off to do something without me, and yeah, I teared up a little. Happy tears, though, because she was overjoyed to do something with other kids. 😂

All the dance friends!

While she danced, I ran errands around town and popped into TJs, where it occurred to me that once upon a time, in pre-pademic life, days like this were commonplace, and I didn’t give them a second thought, but yesterday it just felt SO GOOD. Maybe it was because it was a little taste of normal life again, which made it that much sweeter.

Regarding my makeup, I’m wearing chocolate brown wings on my lash lines here, along with matte peach and pink tones on my lids, cheeks and lips. It’s a very clean, classic look.

I put a little more effort into the base than I usually do, and I think it made a difference. I started by applying a foundation primer, then mixed a full-coverage foundation with a pearly illuminating lotion and buffed a thin layer of that all over my face.

Next, I mixed a couple drops of face oil into a medium-to-full coverage concealer, then applied it in thin layers on my cheeks, nose and around my mouth, taking care to seamlessly blend all of the layers together.

To finish, I set everything with the lightest dusting of loose powder…

What I like about this type of base is that you get a good amount of coverage, but it doesn’t look or feel heavy!

Oh, and one last thing — I test drove a few new-ish things in this look from MAC and Laura Mercier for the first time. I used a couple of the Powder Kiss Soft Matte Eye Shadows, a MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick and a Laura Mercier Translucent Honey Loose Powder. I’ll let ya know how I feel about them after I’ve had some time to ruminate!

mac mull it over power kiss liquid lipcolour
When simple-looking makeup is deceptively complicated, LOL!
mac mull it over best of me what clout
Yeah, man, I’m still an NC42!

mac mull it over powder kiss liquid lipcolour k down smile

mac mull it over powder kiss liquid lipcolour closeup
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There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face of the Day (FOTD), MAC Makeup, Makeup

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

August 27th, 2020 by Karen 18 Comments

New favorite way to enjoy a refreshing drink

1. Drinkin’ fruit-flavored water from my Fressko Water bottle

I have about 1,354 water bottles in my cupboard. 🤷‍♀️

This one from Australian brand Fressko is probably the coolest. It can be used for hot or cold drinks, comes with a tea infuser, and is made from double-insulated glass. I use it to make my favorite beverage at the moment: green tea infused with sliced lemon and lime!

The bottles come in 10-, 13- and 16-oz. sizes. I have the 16-oz. bottle, which is $39.95. I think it’s a well-designed, useful something special to have around, and the possibilities for beverages to make with it are endless.

2. Pared down makeup using a brow pen/pencil combo, mascara and liquid liner (and sometimes a liquid lipstick)

Lately I’ve been getting back in the habit of wearing a little makeup a little more regularly than I had been earlier in the pandemic because it boosts my mood, like a daily workout (but without the sweat!). And sometimes when I don’t feel like working out, I’ll just do my makeup, so that way I’m still doing a little something to help my mood.

urban decay brow blade honest beauty liquidliner laura mercier caviar
Three loves of my makeup life right now…

I like to start with this three-piece pared down combo using a brow pencil, mascara and liquid liner: Urban Decay Brow Blade (seriously, SO GOOD), Urban Decay Cannon Ball or Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara (or a combo of both), and Honest Beauty Liquid Liner (easy to use and dries quickly).

If, when I’m done with those three, I still want to wear more, I’ll wear more. If I don’t, I’ll just stop there!

3. Victoria’s Secret Amber Sunset

It’s a little funny to me that I now consider this my “late summer scent” because I originally bought it as a mosquito repellant. 🦟 LOL!

But you know what? It I think it actually smells REALLY good. Please give it a try.

victorias secret amber romance pool
Smells like late summer (and not like mosquito repellant)

Amber Romance has notes of warm vanilla, sandalwood and amber, with a pinch of tart cherry, and it’s not strong. It’s juuuust right. Added bonus: it does keep mosquitos away!

4. This giant, overstuffed anatomically-shaped heart stuffed toy

I don’t know who needs this giant stuffed heart in their life right now, but apparently I think I do.

I love how BIG it is, and I especially love that it has valves, LOL! ❤️

giant stuffed heart
LUB-DUB!

5. How people are creatively adapting to life in the pandemic

I admire how people have adapted to “the new normal.” It’s been a lot to handle, but people will do what they have to do. Many small businesses are also coming up with some amazing ideas to keep their places going, like Connor’s dance studio. They couldn’t hold their annual spring dance recital in a big theater like they used to, so a few weeks ago the instructors taped the routines outside in a parking lot in the back of the studio. They added a hand washing station, tents for shade, and then built individual mini “stages” spaced six feet apart for the dancers to perform their routines on while the performances were recorded on iPhones.

We’re witnessing a very unique time in history, aren’t we? It was definitely a dance recital I’ll never forget. 💃

Tiny dancer!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Honest Beauty, Just For Fun, Laura Mercier, Urban Decay

FOTD: Khaki and Copper Tones for a Zoom Call

June 24th, 2020 by Karen 21 Comments

tom ford spice mac coppertone

Wore this look on a Zoom call with a beauty brand yesterday (it was Urban Decay to talk about their latest Naked palette, for the nosey noodles who were wondering!), and in classic K-dawg fashion I banged it out in 15 minutes before it started because that’s how I roll.

And, um…Connor also had a social distancing playdate at the park shortly before the call was scheduled to start, and we made it back home by the skin of our teeth, ha ha ha! Whenever I’m pressed for time but want to look gussied up, I always fall back on smokey eyes and nude lips. This khaki and copper version relies on just two products.

tom ford spice mac coppertone 3

I paired the eyes with peach lips and cheeks because EASY. PEASY.

tom ford spice mac coppertone

I’m also wearing a little more base makeup than I have been lately because I knew that “makeup people” (air quotes) were going to be present, so if there were ever a time to load up on a little more concealer, this was it.

Since we’re on the topic of quick looks, what’s your default medium-impact makeup look when you’re pressed for time?

tom ford spice mac coppertone 2


[Continue reading…]

There are 21 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Charlotte Tilbury, COVERGIRL, Estee Lauder, Face of the Day (FOTD), Hourglass, Kevyn Aucoin, Laura Mercier, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Maybelline, NUDESTIX, Tom Ford Beauty

Summer Glam on the Go! Gray-Black Cat Eyes With an Unexpected Swish of Shimmering Bronze on a Smokey Lower Lash Line

June 23rd, 2020 by Karen 16 Comments

neutrogena protect tint tinted moisturizer
A small twist on your fave classic looks can make all the difference

On days when you crave just a little glam, like a level 3-4, this look hits the spot. It involves just a couple minor tweaks on classic eye makeup elements — black cat eyeliner and a smokey lower lash line — to give it a fresh twist.

Gray-black cat eyes

If you look closely at the liner, you’ll see soft dark gray along the outer edge of the upper lash liner, and the gray on the water lines. With black cat eye liner, you’ll typically see black pencil along the water lines, and black pencil liner is also commonly used as a base for black liquid liner when doing cat eyes, too.

But rather than reaching for the standard-issue black pencil, I used a gray liner instead, because it isn’t as stark, so it leads to a softer, more approachable look… And I like the subtle gradient of gray as it merges into black. (I’m all about that gradient life!)

I also paired the liner with matte warm browns on the upper lids and added a shimmery gold on the inner corners.

neutrogena liquid eyeliner
See the shimmery bronze peeking out from the lower lash line?

A shimmering bronze POP

Switch up your typical black or gray smokey lower lash line by layering a shimmery bronze eyeshadow. Place it right in the center of the lower lash line (aim for right underneath your iris).

To do this, I drew a thin line with a matte gray pencil liner along my lower lash line, then smudged it with a flat, compact head (super handy to have around for small, fine detail work).

neutrogena first crush blush
The gray pencil liner softens the edges of the black liquid liner on the upper lash line.

Then, I wiped the brush head on a paper towel, loaded it with a shimmery bronze powder eyeshadow, wet the brush head with a setting spray, and dabbed the wet brush head along the center of lower lash lines.

Tip: skip blending out the edges of your shimmering bronze eyeshadow. I think it looks cool to have the stark edge against the smokey gray! Not only do you save a step by skipping the blending, but you also maintain the intensity of the bronze, which is great because you really want it to stand out against the matte!

Where else am I gonna go?

As for the rest of the makeup, I kept the base and cheeks super sheer with a tinted moisturizer and cream blush because it’s hot here in Novato, and I wasn’t in the mood to wear a thick layer of makeup on the rest of my face… You always have the option of turning up the coverage to whatever you’re feeling on a given day. The world is your pickle, after all, so I’ll take bread-and-butter pickles, because I don’t do dill.

I ended up wearing this look to Trader Joe’s yesterday because, really, where else am I gonna go?? It’s one of the handful of places that’s 1) open, 2) somewhat entertaining, and 3) doesn’t skyrocket the low-level anxiety I’m living with lately.

On the way there, I drove past the bakery I worked at prior to the stay-at-home order, and I realized that, in a few weeks, I’ll have been out of work there *longer* than I actually worked there… It feels like I was living another life.

So, yeah, wore this to TJ’s, with the exception of the lipstick, lip liner and gloss, which faded after I ate my lunch (grilled cheese and tomato soup, if you’re curious). I didn’t bother to reapply since I was going to be wearing a mask anyway.

I think a half set of falsies on the outer corner would have been a nice touch, too, and I kinda wish I’d put some on!

Makeup breakdown

twist on classic swatches
Today’s color palette

Here’s everything I wore in this look! Lots of new-ish drugstore makeup from Neutrogena (one of my all-time favorite brands!).
[Continue reading…]

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Eyes, Face of the Day (FOTD), Lips, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Neutrogena

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About Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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