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Face of the Day (FOTD)

Lady Unicorn

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GIRL. I haven’t worn big lashes in how long? But it’s just like riding a bike!

I’m also wearing a lot of glitter in this lady unicorn look, I know. 🦄

I was inspired by unicorns because my daughter is obsessed with them at the moment, and, let’s face it, so am I.

Oh, and body glitter. I’m wearing it too because WHY NOT? FYI, body glitter has come a loooooong way since I wore it back in the day. This one from Urban Decay comes in a tube, and you kinda just put it anywhere — on your face, in your hair, on your arms, on your neck, your legs.

And seriously, it does not come off! My goodness, I remember the old stuff lasting about 2.5 seconds in my clubbing days, so props to the sparkly scientists who finally discovered a way to get glitter to stick to yo’ body.

  • Eyes: Urban Decay After Dark Palette, Urban Decay 24/7 Pencils (Roxy, Electric Empire), MAC 75 Lashes, MAC Graphblack liner, MAC Princess Jasmine Palette (from the Aladdin collection), Urban Decay Glitter Liner in Disco
  • Face: MAC Studio Fix in NC42 mixed with Pinklite Strobe Cream, NARS Summer Lights palette (bronzer and highlighter), Urban decay Heavy Metal Glitter Gel in Saturday Stardust
  • Lips: MAC Honey Love Lipstick, Hourglass Prose Lip Gloss


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Blue Kitten Flicks, Lessons From My Cat, and Chanel (Because It’s the Right Thing to Do)

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chanel les beiges water fresh tint 1

Tabs: “Don’t you do it. Don’t cry.”

Me: *sniffs* “But what if this is our last photo shoot together?”

Tabs: “Then you should probably wear Chanel. It’s the right thing to do.”

Me: “I’m really trying not to cry but…”

Tabs: “No buts, lady. Think about all of the pics we’ve taken together over the years. How many have there been? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Think about how lucky we’ve — no, how lucky you’ve been to have me in all those pics, because, quite frankly, your poses are hella boring. You’re kind of a hot mess…”

Me: “Oh, man. I’m gonna miss you so much.”

Tabs: “Will you promise me something?”

Me: “Anything.”

Tabs: “Promise me you won’t let grief consume you. Because I know you. I KNOW YOU. And you can’t let that happen. Under any circumstances.”

Me: “I can’t guarantee that, my love.”

Tabs: “You’re going to have to be brave. When I’m gone, you’re going to get out of bed in the morning, comb your fur, get out of your pajamas, and maybe put on a little makeup. Every single day. Most importantly, I want you to smile.”

Me: “People will judge me for grieving too much or too little, for sharing too much or too little, for being weird…”

Tabs: “Kid, I thought you were tougher than that.”

Me: “Apparently, I’m not.”

Tabs: *sigh* “Look, here’s the deal: I’m leaving soon, and I’m sorry but that’s the reality. You’re going to have to keep going, and I want you to do it with love in your heart. If there’s anything I’ve taught you, I hope it’s that. Radiate love, and send your joy out into the world.”

Me: “I’ll do my best…”

Tabs: “That’s all any of us can do. Now, will you smile for me? Let’s play some music, take pictures and enjoy the day.”

Me: “That sounds like a good idea.”

chanel les beiges water fresh tint 3


I think this song perfectly captures his spirit/cattitude, and it’s the one we listened to while we took these pics. Now it will always remind me of him.

Makeup I’m wearing in these pics…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict(s),

Karen and Tabs

Today’s (7-Minute) Makeup: Monochromatic Lids, Cheeks and Lips

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mac in monochrome velvet teddy

I’ve recently come to the following conclusion:

Five-minute makeup is bullsh*t.

Rather, it is if you (correction, I) want to do more than tinted moisturizer, brows, mascara and a nude lip.

I mean, I do five-minute makeup looks all the time. I like ’em. They’re easy, convenient… Well, those are their main selling points, but they aren’t really that much fun, because it’s just not enough time to do more than the basics.

And sometimes I want to have fun! — and I have more swag when I’m feeling my makeup, and when I have more swag, Beyoncé better watch out.

Therefore, in the pursuit of swag…seven-minute makeup is where it’s at.

It’s the sweet spot for me. It’s just enough time to go a little extra (with liner, blush, what have you), but it’s still lazy girl doable.

So, here was my seven-minute makeup look today. I did it using some new products from the MAC in Monochrome collection, but there’s also some Hourglass up in the mix. Everything is listed below in the order applied. If you have any questions, you know where to find me. 😀

mac velvet teddy monochrome
Baby, how YOU feeling?

mac in monochrome velvet teddy makeup of the day final
Seven minutes, I can do.

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Another #PSL Pumpkin Spice Look (I Call It “Pumpkin Spice Jewels”), and Bowing Down to the Wonder That Is Charlotte Tilbury

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Pumpkin spice with a sprinkle of jewels

I don’t want you to think I’ve been neglecting my pumpkin spice devotion, seeing as how it’s now October, and therefore officially pumpkin season.

SO MANY PUMPKINS EVERYWHERE. One can’t even whip her high pony without bumping into one, and I still have mad love for pumpkin spice, as demonstrated by this look, which I call “Pumpkin Spice Jewels.”

A few things I learned in the process of doing my makeup…

1. This Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino will shake you to the core

Or, should I say, “shake your core”? Because when I’d finished about half of it my body literally started shaking from all the caffeine.

I’d never had one of these before. It’s just a pumpkin version of a regular frap (like the other drinks I’ve tried in this series, I got the recipe from theMacroBarista on Instagram).

I could only finish half of it because I couldn’t take any more caffeine. I dunno… Maybe you’re made of stronger stuff than I am, but if not and you’re also a wimp when it comes to caffeine, you can still admire it from afar (because it’s certainly nice to look at).

pumpkin spice frappuccino
WHOA there, sweet tooth.

2. I may need to build an alter to worship Charlotte Tilbury

Her stuff is so spendy, but when it comes to that effortless, dewy skin-that-looks-like-skin, C.T. has that game on lock. I’m wearing her new Magic Away Liquid Concealer ($32) and Genius Magic Powder ($45) in this look, and I didn’t really have to do any of the buffing, blending and dabbing that’s usually involved in achieving a no-makeup makeup look.

I just swiped a concealer wand on my face (I’m wearing shade 8 underneath my eyes and shade 9 on the rest of my face), blended with my fingers, then dusted a sheer veil of the powder with a fluffy brush, which took all of two minutes.

I love how my skin looks when I wear C.T.’s stuff. Like, I can’t even tell I’m wearing makeup, and it doesn’t budge. Not one bit.

charlotte tilbury
Divine if you’re into the dewy skin thing

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When You’re Wondering About Winged Liner at 3AM (and Reviews of the PTY Beauty No BS Eyeshadow Palette, a Fab Crease Brush for Hooded Lids, and a Drugstore Beauty Staple)

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pyt beauty no bs eyeshadow palette 1
WINGS!

I haven’t been sleeping through the night lately, and by “lately” I mean for the past two weeks, which was approximately when Tabs started his new workout regimen where he does wind sprints up and down the stairs beginning at the witching hour, and Connor started having dreams that wake her up in the middle of the night. (Last night she woke up saying, “Mama, NO! Those are my bubbles. MY BUBBLES!”)

The routine has gone something like this: After I’ve comforted all of the little animals, I crawl back into bed and lie there for an hour or two with my gumbo stew of thoughts.

Among last night’s ponderings…

  1. Is it possible to make a gluten-free roux for a white sauce?
  2. If all of your teeth were pointy, could you still eat Popsicles?
  3. When was the last time I wore winged liner?

I have a pretty good memory for makeup-related tidbits, like what lip liner I wore with Clinique Black Honey circa 1994 (it was Wet ‘n’ Wild 666, which is still around!), so to NOT remember when I wore winged liner last is a minor tragedy in my book, which is why I busted them out today with a mix of products, old and new…

PYT No BS Eyeshadow Palette ($28)

Ooh, can’t say enough about this cool-toned palette with its eight neutral powder eyeshadows. Whether you’ve taken a two-year hiatus from serious blending (LIKE ME), or you’ve just started experimenting with making windshield wiper motions, these buttery powders will make your crease work look like you can blend in your sleep. The shadows combine the fineness of NARS eyeshadows with the softness and smoothness of Dior, and they feel much higher end than $28 to me.

pyt beauty no bs eyeshadow palette swatches
I’m an NC42 in MAC for reference.

For my wings today, first I lined my upper lash line with a black pencil liner to sketch out the wings, and then I dipped an angled brush into the matte dark brown and layered directly on top to set the pencil and soften the color just a touch.

pyt beauty no bs eyeshadow palette k
Dark brown eyeshadow + black pencil liner = a kinder, gentler wing

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