Face

Fresh Friday: Blending Feels Good With the Super Soft Bristles in This New Cruelty-Free Vegan Makeup Brush Line

January 18th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

MBB’s “Fresh Friday” series takes a look at new beauty brands (and venerable O.G. brands that are new to me). Let’s discover new makeup!

One of the issue I’ve had with some synthetic makeup brushes is how stiff their bristles are, but that is not a prob for the brushes I’ve tried from aDesign, a new makeup brush line exclusive to Amazon. The angled buffing brush, for one, is so soft that it feels like you’re getting kitten kisses. Sometimes I’ll sit at my desk just rubbing it all over my face. If soft is what you want, soft is what you’ll get with these cruelty-free vegan brushes.

The line is the beauty brainchild of Anisa Telwar Kaicker of Anisa International (Forbes recently gave them a shout-out as one of the best small companies of 2018). Incidentally, Anisa makes brushes for some of the biggest beauty brands out there (Estée Lauder, NARS, Sephora, MAC, Hourglas, La mer and Laura Mercier, to name a few), so I guess it’s safe to say they know brushes.

The new aDesign line has 30 brushes, which are sold in sets of two brushes each. The sets range from $14 on the lower end (for a pair of eye brushes, which breaks down to $7 a brush = not bad!) to $34 on the higher end (for two face brushes). The brushes are lightweight with medium-length handles, and they feel a lot like It Cosmetics brushes in my hand.

How do you choose which set to get? Well, they’re categorized by function. For example, the Eye Power Duo ($14) is all about smoky eyes and comes with two eye brushes for applying and blending cream or powder shadows for smoky looks.

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Crazy About Creams! Hourglass Illume Sheer Color Trio in Sunset

January 16th, 2019 by Karen 23 Comments

hourglass illume sunset trio — OH, HAI, GORGEOUS!

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

First, happy hump day to ya. Second, here are a couple fun facts about the $62 Hourglass Illume Trio in Sunset (you know, to get you ready for Makeup Final Jeopardy!).

Like the name implies, it’s a trio. It has a cream bronzer, a blush and a highlighter, and the first time it launched was back in 2010 (my gosh, have I really been writing about makeup that long?). Back then, it was only a duo, and it was $40 instead of $62. It came with just a cream blush and a bronzer in some fun-kay packaging. It had a different logo and this huge swivel mirror that you could turn 360 degrees around.

hourglass illume sunset trio swatches — The trio on medium tan, warm skin. For reference, I’m an NC42 in MAC.

The new version looks totally different on the outside (no more cray-cray mirror), and now that it’s a trio, it also comes with the cream highlighter.

Quality-wise, I think the trio is just as good as the O.G. duo, and yes, I still have one of the original duos because I am Marie Kondo’s freakin’ nightmare, and I’ve kept it around ~~because I’m a hoarder~~.

What can I say? I don’t use it anymore…although I probably could. It doesn’t smell or look funny (which is my totally unscientific way of determining if I need to throw something out).

hourglass illume sunset trio k — Cheeeeeeeks!

Anyway, the colors in the current trio version are similar to the colors in the O.G. one. You get the same medium peach blush and warm golden bronze, but now you also get a pearly golden beige highlighter.
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Current Foundation Routine —> All About That Base

January 15th, 2019 by Karen 30 Comments

OK, it’s true, I seemingly have a new foundation routine every two seconds because I like to switch things up all the time. Lately I’ve been using a slightly different combo of some old faves, and I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what I’ve been doing with my skin. So I guess it’s working for me! Here’s the product lineup in order from start to finish…

MAC Fix+: A few spritzes on bare skin
MAC Prep+ Prime Natural Radiance: One pump applied all over face
MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion: One pump on oily spots (forehead, nose, chin)
MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC42 mixed with a few drops of Pinklite Strobe Cream (1-3 very thin layers)
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Liquid Concealer in shade 7 (under the eyes) and shade 8 (on cheeks and around nose)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in Golden Tan
MAC Fix+: A few more sprays after all of the powder products have been applied (powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc.)

I’d call this a medium-coverage base. The coverage is just shy of full, and I like that this combo doesn’t feel heavy, but there’s still enough coverage to even out the skin.

It does take time, though. Definitely more than a one-minute job with tinted moisturizer and concealer applied with my fingers and buffed out with a brush or sponge (which is also a totally legit process, but also a totally different look).

If you’re gonna go this route, I recommend doing a couple things…

1. Wait for your face primer to dry

I usually apply my face primer at the start of my makeup, then do my brows and eyes to give the primer time to absorb. If I’m in a hurry, I’ll wait a minute or two, and then blot down as much as I can with a tissue or paper towel, but you basically want the primer to have fully absorbed so it can do its thing. You don’t want to jump to the next steps while it’s sitting on top of your skin.

2. Thin layers are key!

OH, THE MAGIC OF THIN BASE LAYERS. I could talk about this for ages, but here’s the gist of it: If you’re going for a good amount of coverage but don’t want your base makeup to look like cake frosting, use multiple thin layers of foundation and/or concealer, as opposed to just piling a ton of product on bare skin.

The thin layers will give you the coverage you want without looking like batter.

It does takes time and effort, though…

Apply each thin layer with your fingers or a sponge or brush, and blend it in with a buffing brush (you want to get the layers as close to your skin as possible). Also, wait for the previous layer to dry (at least a minute or two) before applying the next one, and repeat until you reach the coverage you want.

It’s like walking around with a goat in your arms…

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MAC Makeup Ready Skin

January 9th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

Nope, I’m not mad about it! MAC’s latest launch of makeup primers is…unsurprisingly, all about primer, and yeah, it’s one of those releases comprised of re-promoted stuff (same products, new boxes).

Of course, there will be the usual hemming and hawing about this, but since almost all of the items in Makeup Ready Skin are things I’ve used and loved for years, I repeat: I’m not mad about it. There are things in this release that deserve the extra attention.

Also, I’m aware that there are peeps out there in Makeup Land who don’t see the point of primers. I can appreciate that… There are lots of makeup “must-haves” that I find totally unnecessary, but I don’t feel that way about primers. I love ’em. I think they make a huge difference in terms of wear time and how smooth my skin looks (especially in pics) when I use them.

And I’m a really big fan of face primers, because OH, HAI, PORES.

MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ ($27)

Q: How many bottles of this setting spray have I used over the years? A: So many. I even take a travel-sized one with me when I travel.

Fix+ is the first AND last thing I use whenever I apply makeup. As soon as I sit down, I spritz a few sprays all over my face — psst, psst! The light mist moisturizes my skin and dampens it, getting it ready for everything else I put on (lotion, primer, whatevs). It helps the next products I use absorb better than they do when my skin is dry.

Then, after all is said and done, I spray Fix+ again at the end of my rigmarole when I finish my last blend, usually right after the powder products. I do it to lock everything down and take the edge off any powdery-ness.

I 💖 Fix+! It’s ride-or-die for me.

Strobe Cream in Pinklite ($34)

Also a huge fan of Strobe Cream. I wear it on bare skin for no-makeup makeup days, or I mix it into MAC Studio Fix Foundation, which is nothing short of magical. If you want to set it with powder, I recommend Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder, which is THE BEST face powder in the MAC line IMO.

There are a few different Strobe Cream shades, but the only one I really use is Pinklite — the original Strobe Cream color. It’s a pearly pink that looks good on everyone.

Prep + Prime Natural Radiance ($42)

Another underrated primer I love. MAC has two versions of it — yellow and pink — and even though I’ve used both…I really can’t tell the difference between them on my skin from an arm’s length away.

I mean, if I really get up in there with a magnifying mirror, sure, I can see tiny pink bits of glitter in the pink one, but they’re both fab. One pump moisturizes my combo skin and smooths out my pores enough to be noticeable.

mac makeup ready skin 2 — Fancy packaging

FYI, Natural Radiance doesn’t minimize pores as aggressively as UD Optical Illusion or Make Up For Ever’s primer (the one in the gray tube). I think of it as more of an everyday look, so if you like natural-looking skin as much as I do, it could be a good fit for you.

Mineralize Timecheck Lotion ($32)

This lightweight primer smooths pores to a greater degree than Natural Radiance, and it also mattes down the skin to hide shine. I like to use it on areas that I don’t want to be super dewy, like the center of my forehead.

Fast Response Eye Cream ($32)

An oldie but goodie for smoothing your under-eye area before concealer. I also like to mix it into liquid concealers to sheer them out for a more natural look.

Prep + Prime Lip ($18.50)

This is the only item in the collection that I’m just “meh” about… It’s like a fancy clear lip balm.

On-The-Go Prep Set ($35)

By the way, there’s also a cute little limited edition trial kit in the collection for $35 with a bunch of MAC priming products, so if you’re new to the world of MAC primers, that would be a good way to go.

One last thing…

Ask me anything! If there’s anything else you’d like to know about any of these products, LET ME KNOW. After years of using them, I know them pretty well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day. 🐫

Crazy About Creams! Honest Beauty Creme Cheek Blush

January 7th, 2019 by Karen 14 Comments

honest beauty creme cheek blush swatches final — Affordable and long-lasting!

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

BRRR! You guys…it’s so cold! ⛄

I know that that must sound mildly hilarious coming from a ☀️ Californian, but seriously, there’s a big difference between Northern California and Southern California. Here in NorCal, it gets almost freezing…

Hardy-har-har, yes, I know that 37 degrees isn’t arctic, but let me tell ya, it’s been so cold in the mornings that my butt bones, my teeth and even my eyebrows are cold!

Now, you’re probably thinking, “DUDE, why are we talking about the weather??” Well, because — gotcha! — cream makeup makeup, i.e. eyeshadow, cream blush, foundation, what have you. When the temperature drops, cream products come in extra handy because they tend to last longer when you aren’t sweating buckets.

Truth be told, though, I’m an all-year-round cream product junkie because I like how smooth they look on my skin (unlike powder), and I’ve been all about cream everything since I hit 40.

That said, the theme this month on MBB is “Crazy About Creams,” and I’ve been wearing today’s guests of honor off and on for more than a month. They’re the Honest Beauty Creme Cheek Blushes.

“Buildable and blendable color right at your fingertips, our cream blush is your go-to for an instant, dewy flush for cheeks. The lightweight formula melts onto skin seamlessly and comes in a stashable compact for easy on-the-go application.”

— honestbeauty.com

Directions:
Use your fingers or a sponge to lightly dab the cream blush onto the apples or your cheeks. Blend upward toward cheekbones in a circular motion.

Tips:
Smile to easily find the apples of your cheeks for spot-on application every time.

“Here at Honest Beauty, we pride ourselves on delivering clean beauty products that work. Our Crème Blush is formulated with naturally derived fruit extracts (like apple, raspberry and grape!) which means that, sometimes, natural separation can occur. You may or may not notice small droplets on the surface of the product, please rest assured that these droplets are completely normal and will naturally absorb back into the formula after use. This does not impact the quality of the product. We got you, babe. Keep on being beautiful.”

I’ve been using two of the four shades — a coral pink and a wine — and both are sheer-ish, so they’re natural looking. Plus, the satin finish goes well with any number of foundation finishes, including velvet, matte, satin and even dewy finishes. It’s all good.

The shades are also super affordable at $12.99, although you’d think you were working with a $32 Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge or a $29 Laura Mercier Cheek Cream), and beyond the awesome price, these have something else elevating them beyond the average cream blushes, and that’s longevity. They actually stay where they belong and don’t pull a disappearing act halfway through the day.

Ingredients:
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, C10-18 Triglycerides, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Triethyl Citrate, Alcohol, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract. MAY CONTAIN: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 30 Lake (CI 73360), Ultramarines (CI 77007)

If the MAC Cream Colour Bases work well on your cheeks, you’ll probably also like these because they feel very similar. Just like you can with the CCBs, when you pick this up from a pan with a fingertip or a sponge, you can grab a good amount, even though they’re somewhat dry (as in not wet) for a cream. They apply creamy, even and smooth, even around dry spots.

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