Wander Beauty

Saving All My Kale for You…

July 17th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

Real talk: Does anyone actually sit at a pretty vanity table with a special lighted mirror, and scented candles burning in the background, and music playing, and perfect lighting hitting all the good angles while they apply their lipstick or other lip products for the day? — because my usual scenario involves me using the rearview mirror while sitting in my car as it warms up in my dark garage, and putting on whatever I’ve got in my purse in the 30 seconds I have before leaving to take Connor somewhere, and P.S., apparently, three-year-olds have many, many places to be, which is why I’m basically the family Uber driver now.

Anyway, that’s why I’m grabbing something moisturizing with a wash of color 99% of the time (#drylips #priorities), like a balm, a lip tint or a hydrating lip oil, which brings me to the latest love of my lip life by Wander Beauty…

Shine and moisture FTW

The Lip Retreat Lip Oils drench dry lips with moisturizing fruit oils and fatty acids, and they coat that kisser with a shiny finish that feels slightly sticky (but not obnoxiously so). There are four shades to choose from, each with a different degree of vivid intensity, and my favorites are juicy strawberry pink Spa Day, and clear shiny Oasis. Both of them smell and taste a little like vanilla, which I’m cool with.

wander beauty lip retreat 2 — Oasis (a clear shade) on the left and Spa Day (a strawberry pink) on the right

The angled doe-foot has a pointed tip, so drawing into tight corners with the brighter shades is just as easy to do as it is with the nude colors, and the squishy tube means that I can squeeze every last drop outta the 0.33-oz. $22 tubes.

No parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances or mineral oil, and they’re cruelty-free and gluten-free as well.

If you like your tints on the bougie side, a la the Hourglass tinted lip oils or the new NARS lip tints, you’re gonna love these!

I love lip oils…but I do not love kale.

I have no problem eating my veggies, but kale? Eww! I’ve tried all sorts of ways to get myself to like kale over the past few years, but it always tastes like gummy, chewy grass to me, and is therefore my equivalent of low-key punishment. (Give me spinach any old day.)

I don’t mind kale in my beauty products, though, especially when they work as well as the Yes to Carrots & Kale Wipes ($5.99).

yes to carrots makeup wipes — The only kale I don’t mind…

yes to carrots makeup wipes ingredients — What’s inside?!

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Product Spotlight: Wander Beauty Mile High Club Mascara

March 6th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

wander beauty mile high club smoky 5 — For crazy curl!

Quick take: This marvelously easy-to-use mascara lengthens, lifts and holds a curl almost all the way up to the stratosphere. It’s also practically waterproof (even though it isn’t alleged to be).

Wander Beauty just gets me, man. It’s like they have a camera into my soul! They know that I usually only have 10 minutes a day to do my makeup, so every nanosecond of that 10 minutes counts, and every moment is so precious and beloved and luxurious to me that I’ve become obnoxiously picky about the products I use. I literally have no more time for nonsense.

The days when I would bust out three different mascaras to do a single look are long gone. Now I’m all about one tube — ONE TUBE TO RULE THEM ALL! — and that’s what I’ve found with Wander Beauty’s New Mile High Club Mascara ($26).

It has since replaced the It Cosmetics Super Hero Mascara I was loving on for a minute, and the reason is because it isn’t finicky at all. Like, I can just pull it out of the tube, plop it on, and I get even better results that I get from Superhero — lighter-than-air lift, longer lashes and darker, richer pigment — all without having to deal with any drama.

My lashes also look fuller, since Mile High combs each hair out so precisely that it looks like I have more lashes than I actually do. Two coats, and they’re full and fanned.

wander beauty mile high mascara — Two coats of Mile High on my upper and lower lashes!

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Product Spotlight: Wander Beauty Dualist Matte and Illuminating Concealer

January 3rd, 2019 by Karen 22 Comments

wander beauty dualist concealer tan review — I wear it in Tan.

You guys, you gotta be able to laugh at yourself, because if you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re taking yourself way too seriously, and if you’re taking yourself way too seriously, you’re probably Kanye West, and if you’re Kanye West, you’re driving people (a.k.a. me) absolutely nuts.

Freakin’ Kanye!

Anyway, where was I…?

Oh, yeah, I’m laughing at myself SO HARD RIGHT NOW because I used to be a person who couldn’t go from point A to B without at least three different tubes of concealers on me.

NO MORE.

One of my themes for 2019 (’cause I don’t do resolutions) is to “embrace change” (and not just in my makeup life), and that’s definitely happening here with the Dualist Matte and Illuminating Concealer by Wander Beauty ($29).

Dualist has a full-coverage matte cream concealer stick on one end and a sheer illuminating liquid concealer on the other, so two products in one sleek, portable stick that’s quite the opposite of the small entourage of under-eye concealing products I used to tote around with me.

Best thing about ’em is that the products on both ends actually do what they’re supposed to do, and they do it well!

wander beauty dualist concealer tan — Tan rocks! I’m an NC42 in MAC, and a Tan in Wander Beauty’s Nude Illusion Liquid Foundation.

What it is:
Dualist Matte and Illuminating Concealer is an innovative double-sided concealer with a full-coverage matte stick on one end and a lightweight illuminating liquid on the other.

What it does:
The matte stick provides maximum coverage for discoloration, blemishes, dark circles, age spots and redness, while the moisturizing illuminating concealer can be used to awaken a dull complexion, brighten the under-eye area (and cheekbones) and diffuse fine lines with a soft and flattering glow.

The skin-loving formula is enriched with soothing, nourishing aloe vera extract, collagen to improve firmness/elasticity, and vitamin E to help block free radicals for healthier looking skin. This multitasking, globally-inspired crease-proof formula provides long-lasting, fool-proof coverage that blends effortlessly without feeling heavy. It helps you achieve the right coverage and color correction for great looking skin, and it’s ideal for quick touch-ups on the go. The matte stick and illuminating liquid can be used separately or together for ultimate complexion perfection.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens
– Sulfates
– Phthalates

What else you need to know:
Wander Beauty creates multitasking makeup essentials so you can look gorgeous on the go. The brand draws from global inspiration as each formula is enriched with skin-loving ingredients from around the world. “Wander Beauty is color to be carried.”

This product is free of mineral oil, fragrance and is gluten-free and cruelty-free.

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Product Spotlight: Wander Beauty Nude Illusion Liquid Foundation

December 17th, 2018 by Karen 31 Comments

wander beauty nude illusion liquid foundation review — Lightweight, looks natural and lasts a looong time = my new foundation crush!

You guys, I found the BEST foundation, and, GASP! — it’s full-coverage.

I KNOW! Who am I…? What happened to Karen??

I almost never wear full-coverage because full-coverage usually means full-effort. You’ve gotta blend and stipple and buff and blend and blend so that your skin doesn’t go all cake-face. But with this liquid foundation by Wander Beauty, I literally do a 60-second slapdash job with my fingers, and my skin looks even-toned and natural.

Wander Beauty is an up-and-coming makeup line you can find at Sephora (and also on the Wander Beauty website). Their whole shtick is makeup for the busy makeup-lovin’ lady-on-the-go, or really anyone who likes put-together makeup but doesn’t have all the time in the world for complicated looks. (Remember Bobbi Brown before Bobbi left? It’s kinda like that, but with more of an emphasis on the whole travel angle.)

And that pretty accurately describes the payoff for Nude Illusion Liquid Foundation. Effortless, simple, elegant. You can put it on in a moving car while you’re half-asleep. A one-ounce tube is $40, and it comes in 12 different shades for all skin types.

wander beauty nude illusion first thing in the morning — Here’s shade “Tan” in natural light right after applying it in the morning.

I put it on this morning, then took pictures of it throughout the day. First thing this morning, I swiped and dotted the foundation all over my face with the large doe-foot (it’s similar to the applicator that comes with my beloved Neutrogena Hydro Boost). Then, I blended it in with my fingers and — surprise! — that was that. Didn’t even have to buff it down with a Real Techniques buffing brush or anything. I just left it as is! No powder, no nothing. It looks natural and lasts all day long.

wander beauty nude illusion lunch — And here it is in outdoor lighting right after lunch (about four hours later). Still looks fresh!

The finish? I love it. It’s satiny, so a little bit of light reflects off the skin, but it’s not full-tilt dewy like Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter or MAC Face and Body.

Come to think of it, this is very much like NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint, but with more coverage. Bottom line: It’s matte with a low-key pearl and looks very skin-like and just plain gorgeous. Plus, bonus — it also blurs pores ever-so-slightly.

wander beauty nude illusion late afternoon — Later in the afternoon (with my copilot bossing me around) in indirect light in the car

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Sephora VIB Sale Recommendations: Wander Beauty Lipsetter Dual Lipstick and Liner

October 31st, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

wander lip setter — Worthy of your Sephora wish list, for sure.

Guess what…? There’s a Sephora VIB sale in November, so this week I’m highlighting some of my favorite makeup workhorses that I think are worthy of your wish list.

What crazy person carries the same ol’ lipstick around with them all the time? OH, WAIT! THAT’S MY LIFE NOW.

Since discovering the $28 Wander Beauty Lipsetter Dual Lipstick and Liners, I suspect that I could go days — no, weeks! — before feeling the need to swap out the lip products in my purse. (And this coming from a serial lipstick swapper is kind of a miraculous statement!)

Cruelty-free makeup line Wander Beauty preaches the power of portable, easy-to-use makeup to enhance what you’ve already got. It’s very Trish McEvoy-esque but hipper. They aren’t a huge brand yet, and they’re still flying under the radar at Sephora for now, but they make so many good things IMO, like these lip liner/lipstick combos, which are totally worthy of your VIB lust list.

First of all, they figured out that the secret to actually getting people to use lip liner is to attach it to a lipstick. They deserve a gold star and a slow clap for that because it’s the only way I’ll actually take a lip liner with me (otherwise, I’ll just line once in the morning and leave the pencil at home).

wander on the mauve — I’m wearing On the Mauve on my lips.

The liner itself is smooth, luscious velvet, and it’s loaded with pigment, and once you draw that line along the edge of your lips, your lipstick won’t go beyond it. “Ye shall not pass!”

Oh, and the lipstick? SO GOOD. It starts out shiny when you first swipe it on but eventually dries down to a velvet matte finish, and it feels so light that I sometimes completely forget I’m wearing lipstick. It’s also non-drying and budge-proof. I can even kiss babies (kittens, too), drink coffee and snack my heart out without it lifting off.

Lastly, it’s unscented, and there aren’t any weird flavors to get up in your grill.

I’ve been living for Bold in Beijing, a blue-based red, and having the liner attached completely removes the stress related to applying and wearing red lipstick. I also love On the Mauve, a plummy pink, which is an everyday color for me. With the VIB sale coming up, I also have my sights on Bahama Breeze, a nude pink, and bright pink Fucshia Class.

Full price, the Lipsetters are $28 each, which I think is still a good deal, but with the 20% VIB discount, they come to $22.40. With the 15% Beauty Insider discount, they’re $23.80.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen