Urban Decay

The Easiest Way to Wear Red Lipstick

December 12th, 2018 by Karen 13 Comments

urban decay tryst lipstick — —-> I’ve found your new favorite way to wear red lipstick. 😉

Nine times out of 10, I’d rather wear a nude lip than a red, because I just don’t like having to deal with the precision, man. I don’t want to spend the time loading a lip brush or dealing with red lip liner, or correcting any wonkiness with concealer. I just wanna put on some lipstick, quickly, and get on to living my cat’s best life, ha ha ha!

Be that as it may, this doesn’t mean I don’t ❤️ wearing red lips because I totally do! — especially during the holidays. ‘Tis the season for red, after all, so I have a workaround way to wear red that I’ve been loving lately, and I think you will too.

Note: It’s SUPER easy.

I’ve been doing it a lot lately with Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Tryst ($18), a charming creamy reddish fuchsia.

Here it is straight from the tube. No liner, no lip brush.

urban decay tryst lip swatch — Crazy for crimson (but not the time it takes to apply it)

I like this red full-on by itself, but it does take some elbow grease to get everything all even, and to do it semi-decently in a moving car, which is where I usually put on my lip color these days, because I’m always cutting it this close to getting somewhere on time.

So lately I’ll start with a layer of nude lipstick (Honest Beauty Blossom is my current fave, but any nude should work) instead. Then, after I get a layer down, I apply a thin layer of red lipstick on top, directly from the tube. Then I rub my lips together to mix everything, and feather the edges with a finger.

urban decay tryst on top of honest beauty blossom — You can totally do this in a moving vehicle, I swear.

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Makeup of the Day // Shades of Blue Liner

November 20th, 2018 by Karen 17 Comments

chanel splendeur et audace palette k 2 — Feeling blue

I got the idea for this metallic blue eyeliner look from a look Kristin Stewart wore to Cannes earlier this year, and I’ve been wanting to wear it ever since. Obviously, I’m no Beau Nelson (I WISH), but I tried.

#kristenstewart in Cannes hair by @bridgetbragerhair styling @taraswennen makeup and Photo by me @beau_nelson #beaunelsonstudio

A post shared by Beau Nelson (@beau_nelson) on May 10, 2018 at 12:31pm PDT

There are so many things I love about this makeup look, but the main things are 1) how vibrant and metallic the liner is, and 2) how the liner morphs from bright metallic teal in the inner corner, to green in the middle (it isn’t obvious, but it’s there, methinks) and a dark blue in the corner, and that’s just along the upper lash line! The lower lash line has these small, subtle blocks of dark blue interspersed with teal… It’s colorful but not cray-cray.

I would totally wear this out to run errands. In fact, I did, out to get groceries, and I almost said “WASSSSUP” to the older woman who straight-up stared at me in the bread aisle as if I were a visitor from another planet.

Some thoughts on the key products

The most complicated thing in this look is the liner, but you can make it as easy or as complicated as you want. If you want to go a simpler route, you can use a couple of bright metallic blue pencils and a black liner on your water line, but I did a combination of eyeliner, cream shadow and powder shadow… Basically, I was in the mood to play. 🙂

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Electric: A metallic teal with silver glitter, available in the permanent line. It’s super bright and intense, but don’t get it anywhere close to your water line because your eyes will tear up if they’re sensitive.

Chanel Stylo Ombre Et Contour in Contour Graphique ($34): I used this dark matte navy as a base for the darker blue parts of the liner. It’s creamy, smudgy and intensely pigmented. It also takes about 5 minutes to fully dry down, so you’ll have lots of time to play with it.

Chanel Splendeur et Audace Quad ($61): I layered the black and blue shades on top of the dark matte navy liner. It’s shiny but less intensely metallic than similar shadows from Urban Decay and MAC… Eh, it’s alright.

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Hanging With “Makeup People,” and Thoughts on Looking Like You’re Trying With Your Makeup Even Though You Really Haven’t Tried at All

November 9th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

Last weekend at a children’s birthday party, which was held inside an art studio, I got to make pinch bowls with ceramic clay (I asked El Hub if he wanted to recreate that scene with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore from Ghost but he said no). At the party, I bumped into a fellow makeup person (hey, Shakun!), and as our kids devoured birthday cake and buzzed around the room, naturally, the conversation drifted to the makeup we were wearing, because that’s what you do when you are a “makeup person,” as opposed to a standard “makeup civilian” (yes, I’m officially coining that term right now).

Big surprise! — I was wearing neutrals on my lids and lips, but because it was a party and I felt like I needed to try a little bit, I also drew some shimmery blue winged liner at the last minute using two colors for an ombre effect. I used a light teal in the inner part of the lash line (Urban Decay Deep End) and a darker sapphire for the outer third and wing (LSD, also by UD).

Not one at that party — not even El Hub, who was the person who probably spent the most time looking directly at my eyes that afternoon — noticed that I was wearing two shades of blue liner, except for Shakun.

BAM! Right off the bat, she pointed out the ombre effect and asked what I used. Funny how it’s like that when you’re hanging with a makeup person, right?! They notice the details right away.

I complimented Shakun on her bright red matte lipstick, and she said that she was wearing red lips because she didn’t have a lot of time to get ready, but she still wanted to look like she tried because it was a party. LOL!

That got me thinking bout the things we do as “makeup people” when we want to look like we tried, but we’re still pressed for time.

I definitely have a go-to bag of tricks for these occasions, like colorful liner, of course, which is so easy, and it’s even easier if you leave out the winged part of it. Anything jewel-toned and shimmery, I like, but purples are what I reach for the most. And GLITTER! A glittery liquid liner, or a glittery eyeshadow top coat (Urban Decay Diamond Dog!), always works wonders and doesn’t take a lot of effort. And, of course, a bright hot pink or red lip. All of these things pop with hardly any effort.

False lashes also up the ante, but at this point in my life I reserve them for special events and holidays like Halloween.

Thanks for being a fellow makeup person. 🙂 Because sometimes I really need someone more interactive to talk to about these things than Tabs…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

The Best Glue for False Lashes

November 6th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

urban decay lash glue the best — The best!

It had been a minute since the last time I wore false lashes, but I went there on Halloween. Thankfully, I remembered an absolutely game-changing tip when it comes to falsies. If you’ve every had trouble applying them (and who hasn’t?), what you need to do is hunt down a set of UD Urban Lash False Eyelashes.

They’ll make your life easier.

Doesn’t really matter which style… Seriously, it’s not about the lashes themselves, although they’re pretty good too.

But I’m all about that lash glue. I think it’s the best out there. I stockpile Urban Decay falsies just to get more of the glue!

I think it’s even better than Duo lash glue, which you can find everywhere and almost everyone (except me) seems to like… I think it’s 1) stinky and 2) almost too sticky, and unless I place it perfectly that first time, it’s darned near impossible to lift the lashes off to re-position them.

Urban Decay’s glue, on the other paw, doesn’t stink (YAY!), and it has some “leeway” to it, meaning that I can lift off the lashes and put them back on a few times (which always happens because I never get it perfect on the first try) before committing to the final positioning.

It’s just so easy! Plus, once it’s dry, it doesn’t move at all.

The viscosity of the UD glue is perfect, too. It isn’t too runny or too thick, which are other issues I have with Duo. The consistency of the formula varies wildly, whereas I’m consistently able to apply the exact amount of UD’s glue I need on the lash band.

Oh, and when you open the tube, there’s also the teeny, very skinny applicator, and it’s easy to get just the littlest amount of glue on your false lashes with it, which is crucial because you want to use the least amount of glue you can get away with (bonus: one tube will last a while).

halloween 50s girl — Is it weird that I have a favorite lash glue?

Did I mention the style I’m wearing in this pic? It’s called HBIC.

I mean…by no means is it a natural lash look, but it’s great for ? parties and cutting-loose days.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bada-Bing! The Urban Decay Naked Cherry Collection Is Out Now

October 9th, 2018 by Karen 21 Comments

urban decay naked cherry palette — The new $49 Urban Decay Naked Cherry collection eyeshadow palette

Clearly, UD has a thing for Bing…cherries. Based on the packaging for new Naked Cherry collection, Bing is bomb, and I can appreciate that. I mean, I get it. I see the connection. A deep, dark, purplish Bing makes sense for a makeup collection, but I still like Rainiers more. They’re sweeter, man! And I love that red and yellow ombre action #importantfruitopinions.

(Quick makeup query: Years ago MAC also released a cherry-inspired collection. Can you remember what it was called?)

No reds, but plenty of pink and plum

Surprise! — there’s not a lot of red in UD’s new Naked Cherry collection.

LIKE NONE.

Red eyeshadow is on trend right now, but if you were hoping for seductive scarlets, vampy vermilions and ruby reds in this release, sorry.

The collection, which has been out about a week now, includes an eyeshadow palette ($49), a blush/highlighting trio ($34), two eyeliners ($21), three lipsticks ($34), and a cherry-scented setting spray ($15).

Judging by the name — Naked Cherry — you may have quite naturally expected there to be copious quantities of crimson in this collection, but these pretties are predominantly pink, rose, purple and mauve. Even more shockingly, no orange-y browns in the eye palette!

I know; am I still in the normal reality?? When was the last time UD released a palette without an orange-brown?

Quick take: shockingly wearable

If you’re craving something kind of different that isn’t filled with typical browns, AND you like wearing purples, AND you can see yourself venturing into the Land of Mauve and Rosy Tones, the Naked Cherry palette is worth a look. I like it.

The Naked palettes are Urban’s take on neutrals, and Naked Cherry still seems, well…neutral. I thought I would have a hard time with it because whenever I wear red, or reddish eyeshadows, I look sick and/or tired, but that’s not a problem for this palette, since these shades do not have red undertones. There are just plenty of wearable purples, plums, burgundies, roses and mauves.

Oh, and kisses of copper, beige and peach to break things up a little.

urban decay naked cherry k — Wearing the eye palette, cheek palette and Devilish Lipstick

The palette appears to be similar to Backtalk (which caused a minor uproar among people who were expecting a straight-up red eye palette when it was recently launched), but… Anyway, you could stick the eyeshadows from Naked Cherry into the the Balktalk palette, and they’d appear to fit right in, but they are quite different (see the swatches below). These colors are more than different enough to stand on their own.

urban decay naked cherry collection swatches — From the top: the eyeshadows, the blush and highlighter, lipsticks and the liners

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