Beauty Tips

Spring Makeup Ideas: Sparkly Taupes and Purples With a Soft Hint of Pink

March 19th, 2020 by Karen 31 Comments

wander beauty wanderess k3 — Big hair, big dreams

It’s weird. Even though the world around me feels like it has gone full-on BONKERS, when I go outside for walks with the Coywolf (and we’ve been going for a lot of them), the great outdoors seems unaware of the sitch in the human world.

Spring, in all her glory, keeps coming.

Case in point: One of the showiest trees in the neighborhood is blooming, and she’s absolutely gorgeous.

(Yes, she’s a dainty lady in my eyes.)

Coy-Coy and I went for several walks yesterday, and on one of them we stopped by to visit our favorite tree. As we stood under the canopy of flowers and looked up, tiny pink petals gently floated onto my hair, and I felt a song in my heart.

Thank you, tree, for your inspiration — makeup and otherwise!

For this springtime makeup look, I did shades of taupe and light purple on the lids, with plummy cheeks and soft pink lips.

wander beauty wanderess taupe look swatches — Key items in this springy look

wander beauty wanderess taupe look — Feelin’ springy

Key items worn in this look

EYES: MAC Groundwork Paint Pot (eyeshadow base), Wander Beauty Wanderess Escape Palette (Nude beach and Enchanted in the crease, Flourish on the lids, and Moonlit in the inner corner), MAC Coffee and Cargo Liner (lash and water lines), Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara (lashes)

CHEEKS: NARS Sin (blush)

LIPS: MAC Oak pencil (outer lip edge), MAC Boldly Bare pencil (inner portion of lips), MAC Oyster Girl gloss (all over lips)

BASE: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream (to prep skin), Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Honey Bronze mixed with MAC Strobe Cream, Estee Lauder 24H Concealer, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Golden Tan

What does spring look like in your neck of the woods?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Shelter in Place / Social Distancing / Homeschooling Activity: Adventures in Makeup Artistry

March 17th, 2020 by Karen 22 Comments

If you’re sheltering in place over the next couple weeks and looking for things to do with someone in the house, let them unleash their inner artist by doing a makeover…ON YOU!

I busted out an old LE Tarte palette I’ve had for ages but haven’t used, a few matching bright eye pencils, a handful of brushes and a bright lipstick (which I let Connor Claire choose…so of course she picked the brightest reddish orange!).

Then we parked ourselves in her room, played some tunes, and I let her have at it.

On, in case you’re wondering, the lipstick is MAC Retro Matte in Dangerous.

I’m pretty impressed with her application, LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Easy Tips for Elegant Everyday Winged Liner

March 13th, 2020 by Karen 5 Comments

nars alhambra — Classic winged liner is always in style.

Contrary to what Instagram or YouTube might’ve told ya over the past five years, winged liner…otherwise known as “cat eye” liner or “kitten flicks”, otherwise known as “one of the rare eye makeup trends that stands the test of time,” doesn’t have to soar across your face like an ominous pair of extra large bat wings.

There are still makeup lovers out there (me!) who still love a dainty, classic flick. It’s timeless, always looks great, and, best of all, it’s pretty easy to do.

REALLY!

I’ve been winging it out a lot lately, albeit not on days when I only have five minutes or less to put on my face paint, because DAYUM! — I can work *fast* but not that fast. But if I have a time budget of, say, 10 minutes (which is what it took to do the look I’m wearing here), that really is enough to do my entire face, along with some classic, elegant everyday winged liner.

Here are three things that help me. I hope they give you some inspiration to try winged liner this week!

Tip one: A pencil liner with a super sharp point is key.

There are lots of ways to go about winged liner (liquid, gel, eyeshadow, I’m sure there’s more), but the easiest way, especially if you’re usually pressed for time, is using a super sharp pencil eyeliner, so definitely keep your pencil sharpener handy and use it to keep that tip sharp.

makeup pencil sharpener — I use and love this sharpener from Sephora.

Why? Pencil is easier to control — and correct! — because all you’re doing is drawing lines on your face, as there’s no brush in the mix to wrestle with. And having a pencil with a super sharp tip allows you to draw the thinnest and most precise lines possible.

I became a true believer in this watching this life-changing how-to video by the goddess of glam herself, Charlotte Tilbury.

No, really, this video is life-changing! Charlotte applies liner on a model in real-time, thoroughly breaking down her method step-by-step, and along the way, she emphasizes over and over again the importance of working with a sharp pencil. Her method is easy, too. LOVE YOU TO MARS AND BACK, CHAR. You have forever changed my winged liner life.

Tip two: Use a mix of brown and black pencils.

If you find black liner looks too harsh, try layering a brown directly on top of your black. It reduces the contrast of the black liner against skin and softens the look. I do this allllll the time now in my 40s. Wearing black liner alone is too jarring, and I find that it makes me look older than I am, so I’m all about layering brown on top. You still get the impact of black, but with the brown on top it’s less harsh.
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Dreaming of Vacay With Wander Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, MAC and More

March 11th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

I woke up wishing I was on vacation this morning. There weren’t any viruses to worry about, no freaky headlines on the news, or piles laundry to fold, no meals to plan. Ah…

When I dream of vacation, it usually involves a beach, ‘cause I’m a sand, surf and sun girl.

I LIKE ALL THE TROPICAL PLACES, and I’m equally happy at remote, out-of-the-way secret beaches that are only accessible by rickety rope ladders as I am at Disneyland-like resorty beaches with all the accoutrements, including a big umbrella, a comfy chair, a clean bathroom and a snack shack. (Gimme all the snacks!)

Walking down to Hideaways beach on Kauai

A play on sheen, shimmer and shine

You know how when you’re at the beach on a hot day, you’re always kinda sweaty, even if you’re just sipping on strawberry shave ice? Well, that’s what I was aiming for with the base in this look. I wasn’t going for “sweaty” necessarily, but rather glistening. There’s an all-over subtle sheen on the skin (thanks, Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter), paired with bright, shimmery spots beaming from specific areas — the inner corners of the eyes, in particular, and the bridge of the nose. Then, there’s just the faintest amount of shine on the lips, thanks to a bright reddish coral lippie with a creamy finish.

I know I talk about “Char’s” Flawless Filter all the time, but really, it’s that good. I like it just as much as I ever have, and I still routinely say, WHAT THE HELL KIND OF MAGIC IS IN HERE? when I blend it in and look in a mirror.

If you’ve tried it and didn’t like it because you felt like the opalescent finish made you look sweaty, try setting it with a face powder that has a matte or demi-matte finish. For this, I’m a massive fan of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. And Chanel’s loose powder is good with Flawless Filter, too. Both temper the sheen a tad for a purrfect glow.

Cue the contrast

Did ya notice the matte lids and lash lines? Yup, that’s on purpose. I wanted a flatter finish on those areas to play against the intense inner corner highlight, and I’m wearing shadows from the new Wander Beauty Wanderess Escape Palette, which has a mix of matte, shimmer and glitter shadows in warm, summery shades of brown, bronze, gold and peach (there’s also a pop of teal in there). If you’ve ever fallen in love with any of the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess palettes, I think you’ll like it.

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NARS Alhambra Eyeshadow Duo -> Love!

March 10th, 2020 by Karen 19 Comments

I’m still playing my way through that custom NARS palette, and I’m still rediscovering classics that keep speaking to me (because, obviously, my makeup talks to me), saying nuggets of wisdom like, “Karen, you seriously need to consider wearing us every day for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.”

nars alhambra products — Key makeup in this look (lots of NARS)

Case in point: the magic combo of Madrague and Alhambra. If these two duos sang a duet, it would go a little something like this…

The sound of disco perfection

Madrague is a matte combo with a creamy brown caramel and a warm beige… Think elevated basics for your crease and brow bone.

Alhambra has a glowing rose gold on one side and a shimmery champagne on the other, and I’ll wear either one, or a mix of both on the inner lids for a wide, doe-eyed effect.

Draw some dainty winged liner, add a couple layers of mascara, and you’re set.

I think this eye look is neutral enough to go with most blushes, but it looks extra pretty when you wear it with warm golden pink. I’m wearing it here with NARS Deep Throat blush, which I’ve always thought was the better, more wearable version of Orgasm…

I know Orgasm gets all the love, but Deep Throat is more pink and less coral, so I think it’s closer to the actual color of flushed cheeks. Plus, Deep Throat’s shimmer is more opalescent and less frosty than Orgasm’s, so it’s more forgiving when skin has visible pores and texture.

Swatch it next time you’re at the counter. I think you’ll like it.

nars alhambra swatches — Yeah, man, still an NC42!

Key makeup for this look

Eyes: Cargo Black Pencil and MAC Coffee (winged liner), NARS Alhambra (inner lids), NARS Madrague (brown side in the crease, and the beige side on brow bone), Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara

Cheeks: NARS Deep Throat (blush)

Lips: NARS Viebke lipstick and NARS Tasmania gloss

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen