Eyes

Behind the Scenes at the Bakery…and a Chocolate Smoky Eye

December 26th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

zoeva cocoa blend and caramel melange eyeshadow palettes — Powered by chocolate cake

Since I started moonlighting as a professional (still novice!) cupcake baker last October, and have been working in the back of the house at a local bakery, I’ve been exploring ways to merge the wonderful worlds of cupcakes, and cookies, and cakes, and other kinds of baking…and also makeup.

For instance, there are ways in which cupcake and cookie baking are similar. Like, for instance, the basic process you go through to make cakes and cookies is the same. First, you pull together your dry ingredients and your wet ingredients, and then you alternate the wet the with dry.

It’s also the same things when I’m baking at for fun at home, with the biggest difference being that everything is scaled up to crazy high proportions at the bakery. Like, the other day, I baked 15 chocolate cake layers for a single day’s worth of orders! This is compared to at home, where I’ll maybe make three layers, at the most.

Working at the bakery has been really cool because I’ve been learning a lot, but I’m always kind of afraid that I’ll do something horribly wrong, like burn a big-@ss batch of 600 sugar cookies…

Another difference between baking at home and baking at the bakery is how we perform prep tasks in piecemeal, and over the course of a few days.

At home, I’m the one who preps the ingredients, prepares the batter, bakes off the cakes or cupcakes, and decorates from start to finish.

You don’t even wanna know how much butter is in this big mixer right now…

But at the bakery, tasks are broken down into very specific subtask lists, so that at any point in time, one of the other bakers can pick up where another baker has left off. It’s incredibly efficient that way!

This look I’m wearing here, which I did with the Zoeva Cocoa Blend and Caramel Melange palettes, was inspired by that mega chocolate bake off I mentioned!

The Zoeva Cocoa Blend (left) and Caramel Melange (right) eyeshadow palettes

Oh, and here’s another big thing I’ve learned working at the bakery…and it’s likely incredibly obvious: people really, really, REALLY like chocolate cake.

Because we make a lot of chocolate cakes, and chocolate is considered one of the “foolproof” recipes. At the bakery, they give it to the newbies like me because, unless you’re a complete hot mess, you can’t muck it up. It’s an oil-based cake, so you just dump all of the ingredients into a container and mix them together, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to get a moist cake!

I used two food-inspired palettes by Zoeva in this chocolatey smoky eye… It turned out a bit pinker than I’d like, but you know, sometimes you get to that point and you can’t really go back, so you just go with it. LOL! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood baking addict,

Karen

A Face Full of MAC Classics

December 24th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

As a makeup hoarding enthusiast, I’ll be the first to admit that the thrill of the hunt — the quest itself — to find new makeup to fall in love with, is one of the motivating factors for why I like makeup and beauty so much.

There’s always something new to discover, right? A new technique to master? A new finish, new formula, a new plant-based ingredient discovered deep in the jungle, a brand new brand, a classic brand re-brand, a secret formula, an ancient skin care secret, a new GWP, BOGO, or a gorgeous LE palette?

At the same time, there are days when I just want to take it back to beauty “comfort food” — the old standards I know so well, and that I know work for me, and for me, that’s always MAC. I’ll always be a MAC girl at heart. 💕

In this look, I’m wearing some classic MAC colors I’ve loved for more than this entire decade. It seems weird to say that, but I did the math; it’s true!

There’s a hint of color in the liner, but everything else on the lids, cheeks and lips is neutral.

I like this look because I can wear it anywhere and everywhere. The lids are softly defined with cooler-toned browns in the crease and a sparkling peach from lash line to crease (to create the illusion of more deeply set eyes, since mine are getting more hooded by the second!).

There’s also lash definition by way of the liner, which is *not* a stark, inky black, or even a brown. Instead, I’m wearing an eyeshadow called MAC Club, which is a beautiful shimmery peacock feather that goes from teal to green to gray to dark brown. It’s GORGEOUS.

So, yeah, I’m wearing that along my upper lash line.

On the lower lash line, I’m wearing a pencil liner that I also consider a MAC staple, MAC Powersurge. It’s a warm, shimmery bronzed gold, and it adds a little something-something, but it doesn’t get all up in your face. It’s one of my favorites! I think it’s even subtler and less intense than a brown liner. I wore it every day for almost a year.

On my cheeks, I’m wearing the first MAC blush I ever fell in love with, MAC Blushbaby… It’s a matte pinkish beige.

And, on my lips, I’m wearing an updated take on an early-2000s lip. Yup, you know that light, glossy nude lip everyone was wearing back in the day (along with their low-rise jeans and camisole top, of course)? I got there with MAC Stripdown lip liner, MAC Honey Love Lipstick, and good ol’ Angel Lipglass.

Oh! — I just realized that I forgot to add a swatch of MAC Teddy liner, which I tightlined with.

I wish I could take credit for this combination of eyeshadows, but I can’t. It’s from the most unlikely palette from years and years ago, from, like, Halloween! I never thought I’d fall in love with it, but I use it almost daily. Remember the Monster’s Bride palette? I don’t use the green color (ever), but everything else is a workhorse, so if you’re building a MAC palette, I can recommend all of these colors 100%.

The lightest color — satiny beige Mylar — you can use as an all-over eyeshadow base to brighten your eye makeup, or, you can even use it as an eye or a cheek highlighter. (Side note: I just looked this up on the MAC website, and it’s MIA; sad panda. 🙁 But you can sub it with Shroom.)

The lighter cool-toned matte brown is Omega, which I’m wearing in the crease. It’s great for pushing a hooded lid back *and* for filling out brows (I’m wearing it mixed with Brun in my brows in this look). It’s great if you want a really ashy brown brow, but you don’t want it to look too gray or too harsh.

If you have any gaps in your brow, it’s particularly great for filling in sparse spots.

MAC Brun, LOVE OF MY LIFE. Wearing it in my brows and outer crease.

Club is the liner, which I applied with an angled brush wet with MAC Fix+.

Carbon, I’m not really wearing in this look, but it’s your standard-issue black that you can wear with anything and everything.

While we’re on the subject of MAC classics, please list the MAC classics you love down below. I’m curious!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I saw this earlier today, and now I can’t stop laughing! It’s a trailer for the Christmas movie Elf (one of my favorites), recut and reimagined as a thriller… 🙂

A Monochromatic Multitasking Makeup Look

December 17th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

chanel amoureaux k — Lots of products doing double duty today

I’m playing with monochromatic multitasking makeup on this chilly Tuesday, partially because I like the alliteration in that phrase… 🙂 And partially because it totally fits with my current makeup motif, which currently involves me seeing what I can get away with given 10 minutes of prep time.

This one was unabashedly inspired by a recent monochromatic makeup post I saw on Instagram by my current makeup muse, Katie Jane Hughes, in which she uses a Chanel lippie on her lids as an eyeshadow, on her cheeks as a blush, and on her lips as a — GASP! — lipstick.

Mind you, I fully acknowledge that wearing lipstick on your lids is one of those things that isn’t everyone’s cup of hot cocoa, but my eyes have been fine whenever I’ve done it, so I’m OK with it.

Like KJH, I’m wearing Chanel in these pics — a Rouge Allure Ink in matte pinkish brown Amoureaux. It has a hint of coral in it.

The Chanel Rouge Allure Inks are more liquid than cream, so they’re runnier than a cream and have a thinner consistency. Consequently, when I used this one as a shadow here, I pressed it on my lids with a flat eyeshadow brush, in order to have more control over the placement. Then, I waited for it to dry before adding another layer.

When using it as a blush, I like to start with a little on the back of my hand first, which I then tap on the apples of my cheeks with a finger. I do this immediately after applying base, by the way, because it blends better when the base product is still wet and hasn’t set.

The base I’m wearing is also a multitasking monster — Maybelline’s awesome Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer. It also works great as a full-coverage foundation!

To sheer it out, just buff it down with a synthetic skunk brush spritzed with a makeup setting spray. I used Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist to mellow out Instant Rewind’s matte finish (you know me and dewy skin, LOL).

chanel amoureaux — That may or may not be Connor’s bedroom wall behind me, ha ha ha.

charlotte tilbury filmstar bronze glow flatlay — Streamlined, baby

Makeup worn in this look

Eyes: Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Amoreaux (lids) Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow (bronzer worn in the crease, highlighter in the inner corner and on brow bone), MAC Brun (liner and brows), IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara (lashes)

Cheeks: Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Amoreaux (as a blush blush), Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow

Lips: Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Amoreaux

Base: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser in Golden (worn as concealer and foundation)

And there we have it. 🙂

What are you up to today?

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

Monochromatic Makeup: Playful Pinks, and a Play on Cat Eyeliner

December 6th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

mac steady going lipstick k smile — Inspired by this pink sweater!

I was inspired to do this monochromatic pink look by this quilted sweatshirt I found at the Eddie Bauer outlet store for 50% off (!).

I can’t remember the last time I walked into an Eddie Bauer store, but there’s one of their outlet stores at Vintage Oaks in Novato, and El Hub wanted to check it out one day to look for a jacket, which he found…and I found this. It’s incredibly soft, and I love the color.

I almost didn’t use any brushes for this look. I used my fingers to press the pink glitter eyeshadow on my lids and to pat the pink cream blush on my cheeks. Really, the only brush I used was an angled eyeshadow brush, which I dipped in a dark brown shadow to diffuse the edge of the liquid black cat eye liner (Tom Ford, baby!).

Speaking of the liner, next time you want to flip the script on your cat eyeliner game, try this: after you finish your cat eye flicks, line the inner corner of your eyes with the thinnest, skinniest line you can get away with.

urban decay glitterrock

Then line the outer portion of your lower lash line with your liquid liner, and connect the inner and outer sections by smudging the most infinitesimal amount of a coordinating eyeshadow color.

If you like to geek out over makeup, this is a fun way to do something a little different with your liner.

mac glitter rock
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