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Can You Remember the Very First Thing You Bought From MAC?

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mac lipsticks at union square store
First MAC lipstick love: Paramount!

My first tube of MAC Paramount happened circa 1995.

It was at the Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, and the counter was just a tiny little stand right next to the entrance.

I remember the sales associate talking me into Mahogany Lip Pencil to go with Paramount Lipstick and me being, like, “SURE, GIRL, RING ME UP!” And I paid cash from money I’d saved working retail over the holidays that year… Little did I know that that small tube of Paramount would send me on a crazy, wild makeup ride that would someday take me to MAC headquarters in Toronto years later (craziness) and also lead to me make my very own MAC Lipglass.

I wish I had kept that first tube!

urban decay starfire
Wearing Paramount and Mahogany
mac powell street store sept 2015
I miss this place! Oh…Connor is in my belly in this pic!

How about you? Can you remember the first thing you ever bought from MAC?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Urban Decay Decades Collection Swatches and Impressions

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urban decay mini eyeshadow palettes
Takin’ a trip through the decades with Urban Decay’s latest

Watch out, Elon Musk! 🚀 Urban Decay just took the lead in the race to develop a time machine, but no, science fiction nerds, I’m not referring to a hot tub time machine (although I secretly wish I was). I’m talking about their $25 LE Decades eyeshadow palettes, which are up on the UD website now.

Each one is themed around a different decade from the ’70s through the early 2000s, and they’re cute! They fit in the palm of your hand with colors and finishes reminiscent of that decade’s style of makeup.

urban decay mini eyeshadow palettes
Of course 1993 would speak to me, haha!

No surprise here, but my favorite is 1993, and not just because of the great plaid packaging. The colors are also wearable. I was really surprised when I put them on the other day by how non-scary my eyes looked, because that did not line up with my first impression when I opened the palette and immediately thought, “Oh, boy…”

“Flattering” wasn’t the first word that came to mind, but then I put them on. 😁

urban decay 1993 boogie swatches

When I did my makeup the first time with these shadows, I did my eyes first, and I vividly remember that there wasn’t any fallout. I didn’t have to clean up any eyeshadow on my cheeks afterwards, which was great.

I think the standout’s gotta be Collect Call, a dark brown that looks intimidating in the pan but turns out to be a surprisingly wearable matte brownish purple on my skin. I blended it into my outer corner and was pleasantly surprised. It feathered out quite easily.

Grunge is another surprise. It looks like a baby threw up all over Oscar the Grouch’s fur in the pan, but no! — it’s actually a lovely satiny golden olive.

Overall, the colors in the 1993 palette are totally, and surprisingly, wearable. Who’d a thunk it?

I put the shadows on bare lids and wasn’t wearing any primer with them at all, because that’s how I roll these days, and even after five hours, I didn’t see any creasing. The shades looked just as vibrant as they did when I put them on in the morning.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Chicory Lip Pencil

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mac chicory
MAC Chicory Lip Pencil. Shirt: Mascara & Kitties

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

I know, I know — we’re all wearing masks. So, what’s the point of wearing lipstick or lip liner, or any other lip products at all?

Listen, just because my face is covered doesn’t mean I don’t get the urge to wear something on my lips. I still LOVE wearing lip color, and I’ll wear it around the house, just because. I don’t need a logical reason. 😁

A few days ago I just happened to come across a lip pencil from MAC that made my heart flutter like a hummingbird, and I thought you might like it as well. It’s a warm matte peachy brown called MAC Chicory, and I think it’s lurvely.

mac chicory swatch nc42
NC42 right here

It’s a little reminiscent of ’90s-style brown lipsticks like MAC Paramount, which is totally bad-@ss — but Chicory is a little less aggressive due to the presence of the peach, so it’s more wearable and down to earth. It’s a kinder, gentler version of the girl who loves wearing combat boots, Levis and button-down flannel.

mac chicory
I’m wearing MAC Costa Riche liner as a base on my lids with MAC Give Me Sun MSF Powder on top.

The shade lives in MAC’s permanent line, and it’s $18. It should last a while, too. Some people aren’t fans of MAC’s pencil liners because of their harder texture, but I don’t mind it at all. I like the stiffer consistency. It helps with longevity, especially if you’re using them as a lipstick, which in this case just entails lining and filling in your lips with Chicory and layering your favorite lip balm on top. (Lately, that’s been CeraVe Hydrating Balm for me.)

If you’re a fan of warm brown eyeshadows, and you lean heavily on Soft Brown, Saddle, Sable or, if you love and wear Costa Riche or Teddy liner often (which I do!), Chicory is a fantastic complement to any of those colors.

Give it a try. I think you’ll love it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Wearable Glittery Pink Lids and Lips | MAC Extra Dimension Foil Eye Shadows | Tips for Wearing Pink Shadow

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mac explosive chemistry
Playful pink! Shirt: Long Live Lipstick Tee

Ya know…sometimes you just need to wear a little pink glitter to go with your pink cat socks!

The torbie-est of the torbie girls

The glittery pink on my lids is MAC Explosive Chemistry from the new super sparkly Extra Dimension Foil Eye Shadow line of intensely shiny glittery powder shadows in a foil base.

I’ve been playing with ’em and have consequently figured out a few things…

The MAC Extra Dimension Foil Eye Shadows

  1. Ditch the brush. If you want to take advantage of the glistening, gleaming foiled finish, use your fingers to apply them. Not brushes. Because brushes end up just pushing the shadow around and mellowing out the highly reflective finish.
  2. Skip the setting spray, too. I’ve tried applying these shadows wet to test if they look shinier (with a finger sprayed with setting spray), and it makes absolutely no difference in the payoff. You really don’t need that extra step!
  3. And while you’re at it, pooh-pooh the primer. Typically, with a bold foil or glitter, I’d reach for a primer to help the sparkles stick to my lids, but this formula doesn’t need it. It happily sticks to bare skin.

Sale alert!

If you’re interested and want to save a few bucks, FYI, I hopped on the MAC site yesterday and found out they were marked down from $21 to $12.60. Only the red, silver and white with multicolor pearl are still available, but I would keep checking back because you never know if and when they’ll restock more.

The Foils are also on sale on the Nordstrom site for $17.85. Macy’s has them on sale for the same price as well! Last time I checked, Explosive Chemistry was available on both Nordstrom and Macy’s.

mac explosive chemistry

Tips for wearing pink eyeshadow

I know you’re probably thinking, “When am I EVER going to wear a warm pink glitter on my lids?” but listen. You *can* do it in a way that is daytime friendly and super wearable, and all you have to do is…

  1. Sweep a warm orangey brown matte or satin shadow into your crease to counter-balance the flashy glitter. You could do something like MAC Soft Brown or Saddle. Your favorite bronzer will work too (mine is MAC Give Me Sun, which I’m wearing here).
  2. Swap your standard-issue black liner with a brown. It’s softer than black, yet yields a similar effect by defining your lash and waterlines.
  3. Summon your concealer. I’m a huge advocate for skipping under-eye concealer when you can, but with pink shadow, I don’t think that’s an option. Pink shadow can sometimes make you look like you’ve been crying, and wearing concealer helps to lessen the effect.

    4. mac explosive chemistry

    Makeup worn in this look

    Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

    Karen

    P.S. TGIF to the extreme!

Two-Ingredient Smokey Red-Bronze Eyes | Totally Wearable and NOT Crazy!

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mac teddy nub
Every MAC Teddy I’ve ever owned ends up looking like this! (Sweatshirt: Thank You For Being a Friend)

Can I get a whoop-whoop from my friends out there who have worn MAC Teddy down to the nubbiest of nubs?!

I was using this teeny, tiny stub yesterday and couldn’t help but laugh because I have been to this rodeo many times before. I grind and grind that pencil down until, one day, I look and realize, “Oh! I should probably replace it soon because I can barely hang onto it with two fingers.” HA HA HA HA!

MAC Teddy liner is a rockstar for a multitude of reasons (LET ME COUNT THE WAYS), but one standout for me is how well it layers with copper and red eyeshadows. That bronzed brown just werks with copper and red shades.

You can keep it easy-peasy lemon squeeze-y by lining your lash and/or waterlines with Teddy and then sweeping your copper or red shadow on your lids.

mac firewerk the room pan teddy down

Or, optionally, you can do what I affectionately refer to as “sandwiching,” which is when you layer Teddy underneath and on top of a shadow for a smokey eye. I think it’s a surefire way to make even the craziest colors wearable.

The shadow I’m wearing here is MAC Firewerk the Room (from the new holiday collection), and it’s a straight-up red. On its own, it’s borderline bananas, but layered with Teddy it magically transforms the look into a wearable daytime smokey eye.

mac firewerk the room teddy forward

Start by buffing a layer of Teddy on your lids with a finger before sweeping a little Firewerk the Room (or any other red shimmery shadow) directly on top. Then buff with your favorite eyeshadow brush to feather out the edges.

Finish by lining your lash and waterlines with MOAR TEDDY, and don’t forget your mascara!

mac teddy firewerk the room swatches

mac firewerk the room smile forward
Blanche, Dorothy, Rose or Sophia?

Makeup worn in this look

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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