Chantecaille

Feel Good Makeup

April 3rd, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

Good morning, friend. If you’re struggling right now, I’m right there with you.

Nothing personally devastating happened this week (knocks on wood), but the realness of the new world order is sinking in, and it’s manifesting itself in an ever-present tightness in my body.

Like many people around the world right now, I feel the weight of an uncertain future, and it’s heavy. 🙁

I keep replaying a memory of something I did with Connor a month ago… Wow, it was only a month ago! We were walking down the aisles at Trader Joe’s singing David Bowie while looking for Jojo the stuffed horse (a fun thing they do for kids) and touching everything in sight without a care in the world.

THERE WAS SO MUCH PASTA. And rice! And flour! The frozen food section was gloriously bursting at the seems with bags of frozen broccoli and peas. Nothing was out of stock!

Connor found Jojo the stuffed horse that day, and we walked straight up to one of the sales associates (barely two feet away). He congratulated us and handed Connor her reward — a red lollipop — which she promptly opened and quickly devoured without a second thought.

This was back when Connor still had school to go to and was allowed to physically touch her friends. I also had the bakery… Life was sweeter than I realized at the time.

Today’s makeup was supposed to be inspired by pastel Easter eggs, but for the life me…I just couldn’t get into it. I tried a few times, swiping and playing with purples, pinks and blues, but I couldn’t make it work.

Sooooo, instead of bulldozing my way through it (which is what pre-pandemic Karen would’ve done), I stopped, took a few deep breaths and did what I knew would make me feel good.

Bronze eyes and neutral lips are the makeup equivalent of comfort food for me, so out came the bronze big guns! — Tom Ford Spice eyeshadow (THE BEST CREAM BRONZE), Charlotte Tilbury foundation and MAC lipstick and blush, of course.

I know, I know… How many variations on bronze lids and neutral lips can one girl possibly wear?! (Apparently, it’s a lot!)

But I really, really *needed* this today. I needed to feel normal, even though we all know life is nothing close to normal now and probably won’t be anytime soon.

tom ford spice — My feel good makeup products

Makeup worn in this look

Base: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in Tan, Estée Lauder Double Wear Instant Fix Concealer in Medium Deep Warm, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden

Eyes: Tom Ford Spice, MAC Coffee pencil, Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara (SO GOOD), Nudestix Brow Pencil, MAC Brown Set in Clear

Cheeks: Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer, MAC Pro Face Palette Bright Blush

Lips: MAC Cosmo lipstick

You hang in there, OK? Sending a warm virtual hug. 🤗

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

All Star Products for 3-Minute, No-Makeup Makeup

February 4th, 2020 by Karen 14 Comments

Some days you have 20 minutes to put on your makeup…and some days you only have three.

Yesterday was a “three” day for me. I had to drop off Connor at preschool in the morning before heading to the bakery, as usual, but because I was running late (I’d just finished making her lunch, and then I accidentally dropped EVERYTHING on the floor, ARRGHHH! It happened in slow motion, too! I’ve re-lived those sliced bananas falling to the ground about 20 times already.), I only had a sliver of time to transform myself from full-on two-month-turned zombie to quasi, two-days-dead semi-zombie. Three minutes, to be precise, and yes, I timed it, because without a timer, I’d never make it out the door on time.

I’ll be the first to admit that there isn’t anything glamorous or dramatic or life-changing about this makeup, but you know what? Sometimes I crave looks like this, like on the days when lunch falls on the ground (THOSE BANANAS ARE STILL HAUNTING ME), and the last thing I need is to be deeply challenged by my concealer or crease color.

If I were to compare this type of makeup to a hair style, it would be like running a brush through your hair, and putting it in a neat, low ponytail before donning a cute baseball cap. 🙂

The real MVP in this look: Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter

I love and wear it ALL THE FREAKIN’ TIME (my shade is 5 Tan). This tinted moisturizer has very fine pearlescent particles that make your skin look dewy (but not oily), and it gives enough coverage to hide redness and ever-so-slightly diffuse pigmentation and freckles. It’s also still somewhat sheer and doesn’t look thick.

(You will not look like you’re wearing a mask.)

From a few feet away, most folks won’t even be able to tell you’re wearing makeup. They’ll just assume you have naturally flawless skin. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOOOOOOVE IT.

Other key players

What else is doing the heavy lifting here?

I’m also wearing two gel cheek products by Chantecaille — their Radiance Gel Bronzer and Hydrating Gel-Cream Blush in Happy. I mixed a few dots of both on the back of my hand and patted/blended the combo directly on my cheeks with fingers. Just like Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, these two moderately pigmented products deposit natural-looking color and don’t look obvious or heavy, so they’re ideal for fresh-faced cheek color that lasts all day long.

I wear them all the time and love them to bits.

Eyes and lips

I did the bare minimum on my eyes and lips.

A quick lash curl and a couple layers of mascara (IT Cosmetics Superhero, a superstar for thickness and curl) and a dash of dark brown eyeliner on the upper waterline (just at the roots of the lashes) immediately opens up my eyes.

Next, I quickly filled in my brows with MAC Brun eyeshadow using an angled brush, then ran a clear brow gel through them. I like to do the clear brow gel last because it mellows any overly dark spots.

Last, but not least, I lined and filled in my lips with a nude liner, then topped them off with a glossy lip tint.

Done and DONE, in less than three minutes! 🙂

Isn’t it nice sometimes to just get your face on quickly so you can jump directly into your day?!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Glittery Green Gradient Wings: A Quick and Easy Holiday Makeup Look

December 11th, 2019 by Karen 16 Comments

Current dilemmas du jour?

What to do with the five pounds of lemons Rosie’s former foster mom gave me (she has a tree in her yard that produces a RIDICULOUS amount of lemons).
What’s some festive and colorful holiday makeup that won’t take me till Valentine’s Day to finish? (I’m only half-kidding.)

As of yet, I still have no clue what to do with the lemons (ugh, lemon bars and lemonade? Maybe some kind of lemon marinade?), I figured out a trick to flying through different colorful looks.

And here it is…

Play with your winged liner. THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS!

Like with this look here with glittery green gradient wings. It was surprisingly quick and easy to do.

The step-by-step

Start by drawing your winged liner with a dark green matte liner as the base (I used Urban Decay Mainline). Be as subtle or dramatic as you like.
Then, for a bright shimmer POP, layer a bright green glitter in the center (I’m wearing Urban Decay Stage Dive) on your lash line.
Lastly, to create a color gradient, dip an angled brush into a black eyeshadow (MAC Carbon for life!), and pat that on top of the outer portion of your wing.

Green goes well with warm browns and peaches, which is what I’m wearing on my lids, lips on these cheeks in this look. If you want to be more adventurous, however, pink would be a playful complementary color… I’m just sayin’. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

May 22nd, 2019 by Karen 37 Comments

Good day, sunshine! ☀️🤗

Did that make you think of the opening lines to this song?

’tis a good day to celebrate love, so here are some of the things I’ve been loving lately…

1. This Serena & Lily French bistro-inspired kitchen

Now that’s a phrase I did not expect to ever see in print…because when have I ever thought that deeply about kitchens?

For the record, Serena & Lily is not a hip 20-something singer-songwriter duet. They’re a high-end furniture line kinda like a more streamlined, bougie-er Pottery Barn (as if that were possible). Think Crate & Barrel meets minimalist French country.

As I was flipping through their latest catalog, looking for design ideas, these cute kitchen scenes caught my eye…

THOSE BLACK AND WHITE BISTRO CHAIRS!

Now, I’m not normally a big wicker person (hard to clean, cat claws get caught in it, squeaks when you sit down), but I love the look of these chairs. They bring back so many memories of strolling the streets of Paris with El Hub (who was El Boyfriend at the time) and sipping strong cups of coffee at cute, cozy sidewalk cafes.

I love the feminine curves and how the chairs look like they’d be comfortable to sit in for hours. They’re crazy expensive, though, so I don’t plan to get ’em, but I sure do like how they look in this room!

2. Chantecaille everything

Speaking of French style, I have a low-key Chantecaille addiction brewing. I’ve been wearing their gel bronzer and blush on bare skin (apparently, I can’t be bothered with foundation anymore), and man! — SO GOOD. You can’t see the edges of either the blush or the bronzer, and neither one moves an inch.

I squeeze a tiny bit of the bronzer on the back of my hand, swirl a small blush brush around in it, then buff that on my upper cheekbones. Then I do the same thing with the blush (same brush), applying it only on the apples.

I like that you really can’t tell where the blush and bronzer begin and end (like something you’d see on Megan Markle on her wedding day), and it’s the kind of makeup that looks particularly good in full sunlight, like at a BBQ or a beach wedding.

chantecaille blush bronzer swatches — Cheek Gelle Blush in Happy (cute name, yeah?) and Radiance Gel Bronzer… I’m 100% sure you’re gonna ask me about the polish now, so it’s Chanel Purple Ray. 🙂

chantecaille blush bronzer — Blush and Bronzer on my cheeks. LOFT sweatshirt from winter 2018. The gloss is Hourglass Unreal Gloss in Horizon.

3. “Say You Will” by Fleetwood MAC

Um…did I really just automatically capitalize the word “MAC” when I typed “Fleetwood Mac”? Yes, yes, I think I did.

My three-year-old loves this song, which in my mind also means that she loves Stevie Nicks…

OK, my work here is done.
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Crazy About Creams! The Chantecaille Mermaid Eye Mattes

January 17th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes 1 — Hello, my pretties.

This month I am CRAZY ABOUT CREAMS. Stay tuned for some of my favorite cream makeup products all throughout January.

One of these freakin’ days, man… One of these days after I’ve finally squatted my way to a J. Lo booty (please pause while I send up a short prayer to the booty gods), I’m gonna pop-pop-pop that thing whenever I wear the matte Chantecaille Cream Shadows, because they’re worthy of a booty pop or two. Or 12.

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes swatches — Say what, Karen? You’re an NC42 for reference? NO WAY!

Unfortunately, they have a pearl-clutching price of $34 for a 0.14-oz. jar, which, I know! — so expensive — but if it’s any consolation, French brand Chantecaille has been doing high-end clean beauty since before it was trendy, and with these pots (I use Silvie, Bee and Olivia), I do think you get what you pay for. These things make my lids smoooooooth.

Mind you, these are still cream shadows, so they aren’t a Christmas miracle. Technically, yes, my ~~wrinkles~~ experience lines are definitely still there, but whenever I wear these I find myself wondering where the heck my fine lines went! Trust me, you won’t be mad about it.

chantecaille mermaid eye mattes k — I’m wearing Bee on my lids, Sylvie in my crease and a touch of Olivia on the inner lids. The bronzer/blush is Hourglass Illume in Sunset, and the lip is NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Pencil in Sin.

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