Revlon

Glittery Green Gradient Wings: A Quick and Easy Holiday Makeup Look

December 11th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

Current dilemmas du jour?

What to do with the five pounds of lemons Rosie’s former foster mom gave me (she has a tree in her yard that produces a RIDICULOUS amount of lemons).
What’s some festive and colorful holiday makeup that won’t take me till Valentine’s Day to finish? (I’m only half-kidding.)

As of yet, I still have no clue what to do with the lemons (ugh, lemon bars and lemonade? Maybe some kind of lemon marinade?), I figured out a trick to flying through different colorful looks.

And here it is…

Play with your winged liner. THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS!

Like with this look here with glittery green gradient wings. It was surprisingly quick and easy to do.

The step-by-step

Start by drawing your winged liner with a dark green matte liner as the base (I used Urban Decay Mainline). Be as subtle or dramatic as you like.
Then, for a bright shimmer POP, layer a bright green glitter in the center (I’m wearing Urban Decay Stage Dive) on your lash line.
Lastly, to create a color gradient, dip an angled brush into a black eyeshadow (MAC Carbon for life!), and pat that on top of the outer portion of your wing.

Green goes well with warm browns and peaches, which is what I’m wearing on my lids, lips on these cheeks in this look. If you want to be more adventurous, however, pink would be a playful complementary color… I’m just sayin’. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Keanu Reeves Is My Boyfriend, Vol. 2: Revlon So Fierce! Vinyl Eyeliner

July 29th, 2019 by Karen 5 Comments

revlon so fierce liner — So fierce, babe!

This is a series featuring stellar drugstore gems in which my (very much pretend) boyfriend Keanu Reeves helps me test makeup… He’s gallant like that, you know? 😊

Last night, Keanu and I laughed and cried our way through The Notebook (he’s so sensitive!), and even through all the tears, my new Revlon So Fierce Vinyl Eyeliner stayed put. I know this because at the end of the move, Keanu ever-so-tenderly cradled my chin and said, “Babe, even when you’re crying like a baby, you and your winged liner are absolutely perfect.” Later he added: “Your liner looks almost as good as mine.”

Revlon So Fierce Vinyl Eyeliner ($8.99)

A waterproof long-wearing gel pencil liner with a glossy — but not shimmery — finish that dries in less than a minute
Available in three shades
Completely budge-proof through tears, sweat and splashes with water
Highly pigmented
Applies smoothly
Doesn’t transfer up into my crease; however, when I aggressively rub it with my fingers, it smudges, so if you rub your eyes you’re probably better off with something long-wearing and liquid like MAC Liquidlast instead.
Stays put on lash lines and water lines, but I wouldn’t use it on water lines if yours are very dry.

[Continue reading…]

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Revlon Colorstay Crème Eyeshadow in 715 Chocolate

December 13th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

revlon colorstay creme shadow 715 espresso — Crazy for Chocolate

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.

What’s that Christmas carol that goes, “‘Tis the season for creams, fa la la la laaaa, la la la laaaa!”? Creams are a “go-to” for gaggles of makeup lovers when it’s cold outside, but Revlon Chocolate is an “all-year” obsession for me.

Formally known as Colorstay 175 Crème Eyeshadow in Chocolate, it’s a drugstore secret treasure at just $6.99, and if you don’t have excess time to spend on your makeup but still like to wear a little somethin’, it will be your 🍓 jam.

I’ve been wearing it a lot since I started growing out my grays, because the way my grays are growing out now, they don’t look purposeful yet because they don’t go from root to tip. It just looks like I missed my last two coloring appointments and can’t get my life together, so if I don’t wear at least a little eye makeup, I look disheveled. So Chocolate has been coming to my rescue.

Chocolate’s from Revlon’s long-wearing Crème Eyeshadow line, and if you haven’t tried these potted shadows before, you gotta get on that. They’re like the MAC Paint Pots, but cheaper, and slightly creamier.

Granted, they’re less pigmented than the Paint Pots, but I think that’s one of their selling points because that sheerness makes it easier to blend out the edges.

Perfect for “I’m already late! Gotta get this makeup on LIKE NOW!” looks.

[Continue reading…]

Unsung (Hair) Heroes: Revlon Essentials Maximum Hold Extra-Thick Elastics

July 10th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

revlon maximum hold extra thick elastics — If you have thick, heavy or otherwise wild, unruly hair, these will make you believe in unicorns (again).

My stylist buddy Alis likes to joke that I have enough hair on my head for three people (although, for the #officialmakeuprecord, I don’t have as much hair as I did pre-baby), but it’s not all kittens and rainbows, because having a decent amount of hair comes with its own challenges, like destroying every single hair elastic within striking distance.

When I’m putting my hair up in a ponytail, most elastics either break, or get stretched out so far that they look like the granny panties you should’ve thrown out THREE YEARS AGO (but still continue to wear when you’re on your period), and are thus rendered utterly and completely useless.

There’s also the whole “ponytail falling out while I’m merely existing” thing, which is a pain.

At HIIT class last week, I decided that enough was enough. I. Am. Done. Pulling up my ponytail every third burpee or switch lunge.

DUUUUUDE…Revlon has this little packet of miracles called the Maximum Hold Extra-Thick Elastics, which just changed everything in one fell swoop. It’s the strongest, thickest, sturdiest and most bass-@ass hair elastic I’ve ever worn.

Normally, I have to double-up elastics to keep my hair from falling all over the place, but in last night’s HIIT class, I used just one — ONE! — and my ponytail stayed perfectly in place through 60 minutes of intense jumps and sprints. Not once did I have to readjust.

When I took off the elastic before showering, I noticed two things. First, that my ponytail was in the exact same place it was when I first put it up. Second, that the elastic wasn’t stretched out at all. Not one teeny, tiny bit.

I also can’t get over how affordable they are. Three bucks for 15 of ’em!

So, so, good, you guys!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Revlon Youth FX Fill + Blur Concealer Gets Some Things Right and a Couple Things Wrong

January 4th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

revlon youth fx fill blur concealer swatches — Yaaaargh!

In theory, Revlon Youth FX Fill + Blur Concealer should totally work for me. It’s a smoothing liquid under-eye concealer for mature skin, and, well, I’m 42, got some fine line action, killer under-eye circles, dry skin, and I’m usually tired as hell.

Buuut the spongy applicator is a frickin’ mess to use! The concealer gets stuck in the sponge, and there’s no easy way to clean it. Oh, and then when I put the cap back on, the stuff gets all over the inside, and the cap is clear, so it gets all crusty while it mocks my desperate need for order in this chaotic world…

[Continue reading…]