Beauty Tips

Classic Smokey Eyes | Day 3 With the Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette

February 25th, 2021 by Karen 5 Comments

The Honest Beauty eyeshadow palette comes with a card with four looks you can do with the palette. I followed the one called “Classic Smoky Eye” for this post, although with one tweak. I started by buffing the matte beige shade (Vanilla’d Velvet) all over my lids as a base so the subsequent colors would pop a little more.

I was a wee bit nervous about using the shimmery gold all over my lids and the shimmery dark purple on the outer corner because…I’m in my 40s now, and shine doesn’t always play well with my 40-something skin, particularly in the crease. Some may even say that I’m “overly picky about shimmery finishes,” *ahem*. Can you blame me though? One false move and you see every fine line!

Buuuut, I decided to go for it anyway, hoping that the matte beige underneath would tone down the shine, and it did!

As I was blending, I realized another reason to love this palette. The more you buff and swirl these shadows, the less intensely they shine, until they have more of a satiny finish. The finish ends up as a soft, pearly glow, which makes this classic smokey eye very workable for daytime wear! When I dropped Connor off at school this morning, I didn’t feel like I was wearing “too much.”

Oh, I’ve been meaning to tell you — I found the most beautiful cream blush by Chanel! It’s Les Beiges Blush No. 20, a stick blush, $45 (!), but dang, lady! It’s so good. It’s a bronzy, peachy tan with the finest flecks of pearly gold, and it adds a hint of natural-looking color to cheeks. I love how easy it is to blend and that I can’t see it sitting on top of my skin or in my pores.

If you’re a real stickler for blush that doesn’t heavy on your cheeks, then you might want to consider it because it’s so natural-looking on skin.

FYI, if you’re lighter than I am, No. 20 will probably function more as a straight-up bronzer on your skin, and if you’re darker, then you might better off with one of Chanel’s brighter cream blushes like No. 21 or No. 22, since I’m betting No. 20 won’t show up as readily on darker skin.

Other things I’ve been into lately: mixing two shades of Honest Beauty liquid lipstick, namely Passion and Off Duty, to create the purrfect mid-toned coral pink; and wearing an old-school standby base combination with MAC Face and Body (I mix C4 and C5), set with the tiniest smidgen of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder (my shade is Medium Golden).

Seriously, why did I ever take a break from wearing Face and Body? IT’S SO GOOD, especially for no-makeup makeup. I’ve talked about it ad nauseam on MBB for years, so if you’re relatively new here and want to know more about why it’s the stuff, hit me up in the comments and I will repeat myself once again, LOL! LOVE IT.

Oh, my gosh, one last thing before I leave you — have you seen the Britney Spears documentary on Hulu? I kept hearing about it, and I told myself, “OK, I’ll give this 10 minutes of my life, and that’s it,” but then I started watching it and I COULD. NOT. LOOK. AWAY.

The one-hour documentary by The New York Times charts Britney’s rise to fame, her very public issues in the press in the early 2000s, and the conservatorship that was placed on her in 2008, which some people believe was against her will. Some conspiracy theorists go so far as to think that her Instagram is an entire series of coded cries for help.

As you might know, I’m solidly on #TeamBritney, and so watching the doc left me with the hope that one day she’ll surprise us all (in the best possible, emotionally healthy way).

To Britney and all my ladies out there currently holding on, make that delicious lemonade out of those lemons, mama. You hang in there!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Mauve Smokey Eyes | Day 2 With the Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette

February 24th, 2021 by Karen 9 Comments

I followed Jessica A’s tutorial to do this mauve smokey eye with the Honest Beauty Get It Together! It was pretty easy too…which of course you know I liked. 👍

Here are the eyeshadows I used…

Base: Matte beige vanilla (Vanill’d Velvet) buffed from lash line to brow bone
Lid and crease: Satiny coppery brown (Sunlit Copper) on lids and in the crease in a half moon shape for soft definition
Outer half: Satiny dark mauve-plum (Chromed Petal) blended onto the outer half (Side note: at this point, I cleaned up the edges with a makeup wipe.)
Upper lash line: Matte black (Magnetic Ink) applied with a wet brush on the upper lash line
Inner corner: Shimmery gold (Strobed Champagne) mixed shimmery light pink (Iced cotton)

Pretty much, I followed everything she did step by step. The only tweak I made was buffing a couple of layers of the matte beige shade, Vanilla’d Velvet, all over my lids first to give the other eyeshadows a smoother base (handy when you don’t want to apply a separate eye primer first).

In the video Jessica calls the palette the most “non-intimidating” eyeshadow palette, and I have to agree! The colors work perfectly with each other, and they’re easy to blend. It’s the most interesting product to cross my makeup path in a while, and I’m almost excited to wear eyeshadow again.

Ooh! — speaking of shocking developments, I can’t believe I almost forgot to tell you this, but last weekend Rosie and I got a solid FOUR HOURS of quality “meow time” together on Saturday. I almost didn’t know what to do with myself because it was the first time I had a block of time alone in the house in I don’t know how long! El Hub took Connor fishing at Bon Tempe Lake, so I was left to my own devices at home.

The lake is absolutely beautiful, BTW! We all went for the first time a couple weeks ago. It’s clear like a mini Lake Tahoe.

So, even though El Hub and I have been living in Marin County for almost 15 years now (YOWZA), I don’t really consider myself a local because I’m originally from the other side of the Bay, which, honestly might as well be a completely different planet. Anyway, my point is that I don’t know how to pronounce the names of all the places around here. I incorrectly assumed that “Bon Tempe” was French for “good time,” so I was saying it with my lame high school French accent, “BAHN THAMP.”

Then, my neighbor, who grew up in this area, politely informed me that it’s “BON TEMP-Y.”

HAHAHA! I’ve been saying it all bougie-fied this entire time… Whoops! 🤷‍♀️

There’s a trail that goes around the entire lake that’s about 4 miles long, so if you’re in the mood for a pretty gentle hike (nothing too steep or strenuous), it’s a good one with beautiful views of the water the entire time. FYI, there aren’t any bathrooms along the way…soooo 1) if you like to drink copious amounts of water, and 2) your bladder is about the size of a pea like someone’s I know (AHEM), you may want to wear pants that you can pull on and off quickly in case ya need to pop a squat behind a tree… I’m just sayin’! 😁

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Soft, Springy Plum Look With Bronze and Mocha (and Warm Nude Lips)

February 23rd, 2021 by Karen 13 Comments

honest beauty get it together eyeshadow palette — Feels like spring!

I got an idea! I decided I’m gonna do looks with this eyeshadow palette from Honest Beauty all week long, and this first one — a soft, springy plum look with bronze and mocha — is firmly in my comfort zone.

I’m intrigued by this palette… I like the combo of cool and warm plums and browns. Plus, most of the shades are in that mid-toned range, which means that if you have a tan (like yours truly), there’s no extra trickery involved in getting the colors to actually show up on your lids!

Also, don’t laugh, but I also love that there’s a matte beige and matte black in the palette.

Is it weird to be thrilled by that? I dunno. Maybe. Probably. 🙂 But let me tell you — having both of them is convenient, because you can use either of them as an eyeshadow base or a liner. Or, mix them with the other shadows in the palette to lighten or darken them up.

Shoot, you could even mix together to make gray (also super handy).

Having both a black and gray shade on hand is so useful! I’m a little concerned about the pans being so close together, but eh, you know… When you’ve been to this rodeo before, you can make it work.

Makeup Worn in this Look

Base: MAC Face and Body in C4, Honest Beauty Honestly Bright Eyes Tinted Eye Cream in Sandstone
Cheeks: MAC Warm Soul
Lips: Honest Beauty Liquid Lipstick in Off Duty
Eyes: It Cosmetics Brow Power (brows), MAC Teddy (waterline), Lancôme Idôle Mascara (upper lashes), Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette (Soft Bronze, Iced Cotton, Matte Plum, Gilded Muave, Burnt Mocha and Vannila’d Velvet)

I ran out of time to do swatches because I had to get Connor’s birthday present — a hot pink scooter. She turns five next week (!), which means that 1) spring is right around the corner, 2) I’ve been wearing ill-fitting pants for half a decade (I really need to just bite the bullet and buy clothes to replace my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, which hasn’t fit in a long time), and 3) pretty soon I’ll be living with a kindergartner.

Birthdays in our neck of the woods also mean birthday lasagna!

lasagna from connors 2nd birthday — You know somebody loves you when they give you pasta for your birthday…

I got the idea to make birthday lasagnas from a coworker years ago. Her mom would make her a lasagna every year on her birthday, and I thought that was just the coolest thing ever. I promised myself that if I ever had a kid I’d do the same, and here I am, showing love through carbs and copious quantities of cheese. 🙂

Last year I made Connor cupcakes from scratch, but this year I decided to make it easy on myself and bought a confetti cake mix and frosting from the store. I’ve used Pillsbury mixes for brownies and liked the results, so I’m hoping this one turns out well too.

pilsbury gluten free funfetti — Let’s. Do. This.

Even though parts of the country are literally freezing, spring is getting closer, and the Easter/spring decor stuff is rolling out again, all of which I luuuuurve.

Girlfriend, give me a springy lemon print, and I am in HEAVEN.

Throwback to when this girl one was a tiny little lemon!

I spent a good chunk of last night putting ALL OF THE THINGS into my cart at Williams Sonoma because they have the cutest set of springy, citrus-themed dishes.

(Side note: did I ever mention that I have a thing for nice plates and table settings?)

This collection is called Citron, and I love everything about it.

Love the colors, love the botanical print vibes of the lemon drawings, love the graphic patterns on the plates with the leaves and the lemon slices, love it all. Don’t love the price, obvs (SO EXPENSIVE). But le sigh… This makes my heart sing for spring!

daffodil spring 2021 — The neighborhood’s first official daffodil

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

One Bronzy Mauve Eye Look, Two Lip Options

February 11th, 2021 by Karen 7 Comments

wander beauty wanderess escape palette mac dance with me — One bronzy mauve eye look, two lip options

Looking for an easy eye makeup look that looks better than the bare minimum and works with a wide variety of lipstick colors? If you are, have I got an eye look for you! 😃 Check out this bronzy mauve…

Yeah, yeah, who’s wearing lipstick these days? Well, I mean, I think a lot of us are. I was chatting with a few gals on Instagram (here’s me, BTW), and it turns out there are a lot of people out there spending a lot of time at home right now (no, really!?), parenting, surviving and hopefully thriving, in, like, full-on bright red lips because they simply miss wearing lipstick. So, before you put your hands on your hips, shake your finger at me and say, “Karen, everybody’s masked up, so lipstick is total and complete nonsense now!” I politely disagree.

We’re still wearing lipstick, y’all. HEAR US ROAR! 😸

LOL!

wander beauty wanderess escape palette eye look — A closeup of the eye look

So, back to the eye makeup… Curl your lashes, fill in your brows, and grab the following:

Key eye makeup products

A bronze cream shadow stick
A matte mauve powder shadow
A matte cool brown eyeshadow
A black or blackish brown pencil liner
A shimmery warm champagne shadow

Here’s what you do

Apply and blend the bronze cream shadow all over the part of your lid that moves when you blink (a.k.a. your mobile lid), as well as the crease, diffusing the shadow into a soft gradient as you move up toward your brows.
Layer the matte purplish mauve eyeshadow directly on top of the bronze cream shadow, first using a flat eyeshadow brush. Next, grab a clean tapered or domed blending brush, and soften out the edges. Now, if you want, run the brush along your lower lash line with however much product remains on the brush.
Next, line your lash lines with the black or brownish black pencil. Then, load a pencil brush with the dark cool brown shadow, and soften the liner by running the tip of the brush along the liner’s edge.
Dab a touch of the shimmery warm champagne into the inner corners…
And finish with mascara, false lashes and a shot of tequila (kidding).

If you want, you can also do the following

Optional step 1: Tightline your waterline. Side note — I *always* do this! Makes my lashes look thicker. 😉
Optional step 2: Blend some of the cool matte brown eyeshadow in the outer corner for more depth.

Two lip options

I think this works with so many different lip colors because the balance between the warm bronzy shadow base and the cooler mauve and brown tones makes it suitable to wear with neutral, cool and warm lipsticks. I’ve paired it here with a neutral rosy brown lipstick and a warm cranberry red lipstick to give you two options; I also think this look would be great with dark brown, wine or brick shades.

wander beauty wanderess escape palette laura mercier beige intime — Same eyes, but now with a rosy brown lipstick (t-shirt: Mascara & Kitties)

Product links

What I’m wearing

Laura Mercier Burnished Bronze cream shadow
Wander Beauty Escape Palette (Enchanted, Overnight and Moonlit shades)
Chanel Noir Intense Eyeliner
Laura Mercier Soleil 1 Bronzer
Laura Mercier Rose blush
Laura Mercier Beige Intime Lipstick
MAC Dance With Me Liquid Lipstick
MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Stick Foundation in NC42
Urban Decay Brow Blade in Dark Drapes
Lancôme Idole Lash Mascara
Estée Lauder Double Wear Instant Fix Concealer in Medium Deep

wander beauty wanderess escape palette laura mercier beige intime mac dance with me — Swatches!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Steps to a Sheer, Fresh Base (That Looks Effortless)

February 9th, 2021 by Karen 12 Comments

laura mercier beige ultimae pyt no bs palette — Waiting on spring!

It’s always kinda amusing to me when I watch a tutorial for “skin that looks like skin,” or “effortless foundation,” and it involves, like, 12 steps to get there!

I know, I know! It comes with the territory of doing makeup. But still. 🙄

Admittedly, I’m guilty of over-complicating makeup on occasion (*cough* sorry! *cough*), but sometimes I really do just want easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, and this three-step process to a sheer, fresh base is exactly that.

The goal here? A low-effort base that looks natural and polished, with a few areas of strategically placed slightly dewy (but not shiny) finish peeking through. Please bear in mind that this type of base will not completely cover everything. Yes, we’re purposefully letting lots of actual skin show.

You’ll need…

Three is the magic number here, starting with how much time you’ll need.

About three minutes.

Also, you’ll need the following…

An opalescent, low-shimmer highlighting lotion, ideally one without any bits of glitter in it
A sheer-to-medium-coverage stick or cream foundation that works for your skin type and tone
A synthetic blending brush

The step-by-step

First, dab a few dots of the pearly lotion all over your face, and blend. I like to include a few dots beneath my eyes to lift and brighten that area. After blending all of your dots, wait about a minute for your pearly lotion set.
Apply the foundation you selected wherever you want the highest coverage. Gently press and blend it in with clean fingers (ideally, your fingers should be warm for this, and not freezing cold like my fingers get sometimes). I typically do my cheeks, underneath my nose, around my mouth, and in the center of my forehead. This should take just about another minute.
Gently diffuse the edges of your foundation with the blending brush, seamlessly blending the foundation into your natural skin. The trick is to not lift off and remove too much product here. That is, you do want some coverage, after all, so use a light touch.

Optional: dab some concealer under your eyes, and I’d suggest something sheer because a full-coverage concealer will look disjointed alongside such a sheer base.

Additional optional step: set your foundation with a sheer powder (I usually skip this step).

Here’s a closeup of the base! As you can see, there are a few freckles on my nose and a few places where a little pigmentation is peeking through above my upper lip and on my cheeks, which I’m totally cool with. Like I said, this is the type of makeup that isn’t meant to fully conceal everything.

laura mercier beige intime pyt no bs palette closeup — Well, hi there!

Fresh skin, olive lids and rosy beige cheeks and lips — See the freckles on my nose?

What to pair this base with

If you want to keep it casual and underdress this base, you could pair it with a combination of brow gel, mascara and eyeliner, but for a little extra polish, you could dress it up like I did here by pairing it with something like a cool-toned olive and taupe on the lids, a matte rosy blush on the cheeks and a light pinkish brown lipstick.