Beauty Tips

Space Buns and Sparkly Purple Lids

November 12th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

triple hair buns — I may or may not have about a billion bobby pins in my hair at the moment.

I’m sure this tri-bun hairstyle has an official/formal name, but I intend to call it “space buns,” because there’s something undeniably Star Wars about it…

If I were hurtling through space on a rocket bound for Mars, and I was required to wear my hair up (to protect the sensitive electronic equipment from static discharge, you see), you better believe I would NOT be rocking a basic low pony.

SPACE BUNS ALL THE WAY, GIRLFRIEND.

Side note: Connor calls this a “pony hairstyle” because she’s into horses at the moment.

Maybe it’s the stars twinkling in the firmament…but sparkles and space buns just seem *right* to me, hence the purple glitter in this look.

mac wishful thinking — Wearing some newness from the MAC Holiday collection

I got a few compliments from my coworkers when I wore this to the bakery the other day. 🙂 It was nice. I think it was because this is one of those looks that isn’t too over the top in terms of base and lips (I kept the foundation super sheer and the lips glossy and subtly sparkly, which boosts the wearability for daytime), but I think the glitter is punchy and fun enough to catch your eye.

If you like this type of makeup, you need to follow Katie Jane Hughes on Instagram ASAP. She’s a celeb makeup artist known for her sheer base, the wings she does, and her penchant for sparkle. It’s very inspiring!

I’m using some new MAC products from the very sparkly Staring You holiday collection, by the way. This collection, which is out now, has new Spellbinder Shadows in glittery holiday shades (you might remember these ionized eyeshadows from 2016).

mac starring you holiday 2019 — The new, limited edition MAC Starring You holiday 2019 collection, available now

Two things if you plan on picking up one of these loose shadows: 1) most definitely DO NOT skip wearing an eyeshadow base; and 2) apply it using a stiff, flat eyeshadow brush, or your fingers.

If you’d like to chat more about the Spellbinders, drop me a comment. I’m happy to help!
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Autumnal Dessert: 15-Minute Makeup With Chocolatey Reddish Brown Smoky Eyes and Matte Rosy Brown Lips

November 8th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

nars balboa — A classic fall combo: brown lids/brown lips

Luckily, I was wearing this chocolatey reddish brown smoky eye yesterday because I spent the majority of my shift at the bakery prepping dry chocolate cake mix from scratch…which may or may not have left me covered in a fine layer of cocoa powder.

(By the way, you haven’t lived until you’ve almost tipped an industrial-sized vat of cocoa powder on top of yourself. Yes…my life is a thrill a minute, I know. Side note: Holy crap, there’s SO MUCH SUGAR in chocolate cake mix!)

About the look

Apparently, the universe wanted me to be covered in chocolate in both the makeup and culinary sense, and these chocolate smoky eyes were super simple to do with a quick smudgy eye base from an opalescent bronze pencil eyeliner, which I topped with a matte reddish brown eyeshadow.

Matchy-matchy?

When I first started wearing eye makeup about one billion years ago, I believed that if you wore any matte finishes, then everything — your liner, your eyeshadow and your base — also had to be in a matching matte, but that’s so not the case. You can totally mix and match your finishes, which is what I did here with the pearly base and the matte eyeshadow to create a satin finish.

Feel free to play and layer different finishes if you don’t already, because you never know what you’ll cook up!

Playing with blending

Also, experiment with your blending. I’m normally inclined to “blow out” my eyeshadow, a.k.a. “blend out the edges so they fade out smoothly,” but I went for more definition at the edges in this look by choosing to not buff out the edges as much as usual… I kinda like it!

The more obvious edges of the eyeshadow are framed by a bolder brow, which I whipped up by mixing brow pencil with an eyeshadow.

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3 Tips for Wearing Red Eyeshadow (and a 20-Minute Makeup Look)

November 6th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

viseart libertine — I may or may not be in my pajamas, FYI.

Fall-inspired look, TAKE TWO.

I think this one’s a little closer in terms of vibe to the Thanksgiving baking accouterments I found at Michael’s the other day… More fall, and less summer, with shimmery reddish copper lids, bronze cheeks and nude-beige lips.

I wore it to the bakery the other day… The bakery in my kitchen, THAT IS! Had this on while trying to work out the pumpkin/pecan cupcake situation (yes, this is a thing I’m working on). In a nutshell, I think I found a good balance between a spicy pumpkin cupcake, and brown sugar pecans, but that’s a story for another time…

As for this look, here are some things you may find helpful when wearing reddish copper eyeshadow, or really any shadows with red tones:

1. Full-coverage foundations make a HUGE difference

You know me; I like to wear as little as possible in terms of base products, but whenever I try to do minimal foundation/concealer that incorporates any sort of copper, coppery red or red eyeshadow, I look tired, messy and juuuuust not right. Babe, if you’ve got anything remotely red happening on your lids, then go for full-coverage foundation. A full-coverage base balances with the red eyeshadow’s POW! very nicely, methinks.

2. Tightline with a black liner

You need something like a black liner to add a visible “break” or barrier between your red eyeshadow and the whites of your eyes; otherwise, it can look kinda “off.” If black seems too harsh for you, try a dark brown.

3. Do your eye makeup first

Why? Because you want absolutely NO red underneath your lower lash line, and you’ll want to completely remove it before doing your base. Then, after you clean up, apply a concealer. I’m usually team “Skip the Under-Eye Concealer,” but in this case, I’m thoroughly on board, because, again, it can look weird if you skip it.

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3 Powerful Tips for Doing Quick, Colorful Makeup (And a 20-Minute Bronze/Green/Gold Eye Look With Pink Cheeks and Nude Matte Lips!)

October 31st, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

urban decay on the run g train — Today’s 20-minute makeup look

Working at the bakery has been such a blessing in so many ways, makeup and otherwise. I’ve been learning so many new things, and the loneliness I’ve felt for a long time is finally starting to leave.

In terms of makeup, though, my goodness! — the 15-minute window I typically have now to don my face paint in the mornings has been the catalyst for all manner of shortcuts.

Like these three powerful tricks you can use when you want to do quick, colorful makeup (but don’t have a lot of time). I used them for to do bronze, green and gold eye look (paired with pink cheeks and a matte nude-pink lip), which I wore to the bakery yesterday…

Tip No. 1: Intensify and extend the wear time of your eyeshadow by using a long-wearing pencil liner as a base

This is one of the speediest ways I know to 1) get your eyeshadow to last longer, and 2) to amplify the intensity of your shadows to make them look brighter and richer.

For this, you want to use a liner that sets relatively quickly…like in less than 30 seconds. I love the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-Ons because they come in tons of colors and finishes. And, because they dry very quickly, I’m forced to work fast!

Note: When you’re using a quick-drying pencil liner as a base, your best friend is a stiff (but still soft) synthetic brush, ideally something with a slightly domed tip, like the Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush.

Synthetic bristles tend to be more rigid than natural bristles, so you can push and blend that liner and tell it where to go, LIKE RIGHT MEOW!

In the look I wore yesterday, I wore Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Smog as a base. I roughly drew a few fatty-bo-batty messy lines all over my lids, and then I took the Real Techniques brush and buffed the liner into a thin, even layer.

Then, I applied warm browns and bronzes from the new Urban Decay On the Run Palette in G Train.

Tip No. 2: Use an angled brush to line your eyes with the darkest shade from your favorite eyeshadow palette

Not only is lining with an eyeshadow and angled brush super speedy, but it’s also forgiving, so you can make mistakes and nobody will even realize it!

Note: If you want the most room for error, keep the brush head dry for a soft and diffused line.

You can also wet your brush head with a setting spray to dial up the richness of the color, but FYI, it’s not as forgiving as a dry application.
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Long Lasting Makeup for Hot Kitchens (A 15-Minute Look)

October 25th, 2019 by Karen 41 Comments

No, I am not trying to tease your sweet tooth…but yes, you are staring at cupcakes for a reason. 🧁😁

That reason would be this: I started a new job this week! At a bakery!

I know, it’s out of my lane, but with Connor going to preschool five days a week now, and me having been working at home for eons, I’ve been going a little stir crazy. Then one day a couple weeks ago, an opportunity arose to bake for a local bakery, and I took it.

If you’ve followed MBB for a while, then you probably know that I love to bake at home, and I’d love to get better at it. I want to learn to make all teh things! And I want to be surrounded by sugar and gluten and chocolate and frosting ALL. DAY. LONG.

I’ll try to temper/limit the amount of baking-related pics and info I share on MBB (unless you REALLY want to see more, in which case lemme know), but I’ve been doing MBB for almost 13 (!) years now. I love it too much to stop, but mama needs some other interests too. Way I see it, I’ll still be wearing makeup to work at the bakery, so I’ll still have plenty of makeup and skincare to test and talk about. So…you won’t be getting rid of me yet. LOL!

The new new gig is “back of the house,” which means that my primary responsibilities will be the actual baking…of all the delicious things.

Mmm…

First thing I noticed this week in the kitchen for training was that it gets REALLY hot when the ovens are cranking, and even HOTTER when it’s also hot outside, like it has been the past few days.

I wore the littlest amount of stick foundation on my first day (and I also happened to skip powder), so my base had all but slid off my face by the end of my shift.

So, for my second day at work, I busted out the long-wearing guns…

urban decay highway queen palette — When you’ve only got 15 minutes…

Base

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation (my shade is Honey Bronze) and Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer (I wear Golden). Both of these base products last a long while, and neither one looks or feels heavy. I set them with a light dusting of Chanel loose powder, which has a lovely natural finish.

Eyes

A liquid bronze eyeshadow base (Wander Beauty Amber Wave! Layer it under your bronze eyeshadows for added intensity and staying power) with a dusting of a shimmery warm bronze from the new Urban Decay On the Run Mini Palette in Highway Queen. I also went with a long-wearing purple liner on the upper lash line (UD Ether, which pairs well with bronze shades and doesn’t look *too* obviously purple. Unfortunately, it’s discontinued.). Next, I used a long-lasting curling mascara on my lashes (MAC Extended Play Perm Me Up Lashes).

Eyebrows

I was blown away by how well my brows made it through the second day, because — no joke — it was hot 🔥 in the kitchen. I’d assumed they would disappear, BUT THEY DIDN’T! Anyway, I wore NARS Komo brow pencil and MAC Clear Brow Set.

Note to self: this combo frickin’ lasts.

Cheeks and lips

Charlotte Tilbury Ecstasy blush on my cheeks, along with a couple of shades from the Wander Beauty Cloud9 Mini Lipstick Kit (the lipsticks are super creamy, so they don’t really last more than two hours) mixed together.

urban decay highway k closeup — My hair is crazy, I know.

It took me 15 minutes to do this look, which I put on at 6:45 in the morning.

I’m writing this post a full 12 hours later, and after five hours in a hot kitchen, all of the makeup I used in the morning still looks pretty good, if I do say so myself…with the exception of the creamy lipstick.

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, I don’t eat cupcakes all day long now, HA HA HA!

I certainly want to though. 😁

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen