Wander Beauty

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

10-Minute Travel Makeup: Berry Cheeks and Lips, and Glowing Skin on the Go

May 2nd, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

1 wander beauty travel makeup-top-pic — Travel makeup you can do in 10 minutes…in a moving car

All who wander are not lost, but if El Hub is at the helm, and we’re in our Mazda, chances are… 🙂 Haha! Kidding, babe! Sort of…

That man… OK, he was was born and raised on an island, so when he gets lost while driving, he instinctively seeks out the ocean and then hugs the coast. Now, if you do that on a small island, you’ll eventually get closer to where you need to go. (Granted, this technique works better on a small island like Oahu than it does when you’re driving in the middle of a huge state like California.)

And will he ever pull over and ask for directions? NOPE. Thank goodness for smart phones… Apple Maps has saved our marriage more than once!

Anyway, I’ve learned a thing or two about putting on makeup in cars, because, girl, I’m always putting on makeup in the car. (If I had a nickel for every time I nearly poked my eye out with a mascara brush on 880…)

Over the years and years and miles and miles, I’ve figured out a few helpful tricks that make the process easier and more efficient, and those tricks came in handy last weekend on our three-hour drive up to Redding.

wander beauty travel makeup clouds on point — Fluffy cloud game on point

wander beauty travel makeup yellow wildflowers — The yellow wildflowers are out and working it.

These things are really helpful when you’re doing makeup in the car (or on a train, bus or plane, for that matter):

Skip the brushes if you can. They just complicate things. Plus, you know that crack between the seat and the center console in the car? It’s a freaking black hole when it comes to makeup brushes. If you drop one in there on accident, kiss it goodbye. You’re not going to get it out until humanity learns how to fold space and time.

Creams are key. You can apply creams with your fingers, so without brushes, and you don’t have to worry so much about spillage. On that note, try avoiding makeup that comes in jars or sifters because they’re messy. Makeup in pressed pans is OK, but there’s always a chance you’ll drop the pan and shatter it, and you’ll have to use a brush to apply.

Choose products that have something attached to both ends. For example, a lip duo with a lipstick on one end and a lip liner on the other (like the berry lipstick/liner duo I use below from Wander Beauty). They’ll save a little space in your makeup bag and lighten your load a little.

wander beauty travel makeup view of the bay — A quick glimpse of the North Bay from Highway 37 (which takes you into Napa)

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