Lips

A Laura Mercier Moment…

September 10th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

laura mercier september 2019 — Dearest Laura…you’re rockin’ my world at the moment.

I’m going to assume that you are, or have been, a makeup junkie, and so therefore you have probably had one (or more) moments like I did the other night at back-to-school night, when your makeup universe collides in such a way that you’re, like, “WHOA!”

I can’t be the only one. I just can’t.

I was just sitting there in Connor’s preschool classroom wearing some Laura Mercier products when my nose honed in on someone’s perfume (I have a bloodhound’s sense of smell). It was familiar, but I couldn’t place it, and the source of that scent — swear to gosh — knocked around in my head for days, like a song stuck in my head.

Then, half asleep one night in bed, it hit me! It was Laura Mercier Eau de Lune, which I wore every day for three years straight in the early aughts.

Dang, dawg, I’ve been wearing Laura Mercier makeup off and on for almost 20 years! In fact, I can recall when it was a relatively new line. I remember going to a counter for the first time (must have been about 1997) and being intrigued by the makeup primer, which was very forward-thinking at the time. And their Tinted Moisturizer, Secret Brightening Powder, Eye Basics in Wheat and Stormy Grey eyeliner have all been in my everyday makeup bag rotation at different times for years.

Like I was saying…I just happened to be wearing a few pieces of LM makeup the other night, and it reminded me why I like wearing Laura Mercier makeup so much. Her style is colorful, but not too crazy, and has elegantly subtle touches of pizzazz, like a little glitter here, a demi-matte finish there… It’s also easy to amplify or dial down.

A few quick thoughts on what I’ve been wearing lately…

Foundation Primer ($38)

There are a few different versions of this (Oil-Free, Dry SKin, etc.), and this one is the basic Foundation Primer. It’s a colorless, lightweight primer in a moisturizing gel that instantly sinks into skin (rather than sitting on top). If you like primers that add radiance with barely-there pearl finish (like MAC’s Natural Radiance), you’ll like this, too. It’s an oldie but goodie.

Translucent Loose Setting Powder ($39)

Light as air and completely undetectable, this has a soft matte finish that looks natural to the Nth degree!

laura mercier september 2019 swatches — Lovies by Laura M.!

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Unsung Heroes: The $6 Sephora Collection Eco Biodegradable Sharpener

August 20th, 2019 by Karen 5 Comments

makeup pencil sharpener — All that and a bag of chips!

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.

Y’all…with the 15% off VIB sale happening now, I know you’re busy playing chicken with your Sephora cart, but please take a moment to consider one of the most underrated (and best!) tools the mother ship has to offer — the $6 Biodegradable Pencil Sharpener, otherwise known as “the pencil sharpener that elevated my winged liner and saved me from a lifetime of makeup misery.”

It’s the only makeup pencil sharpener I’ve ever owned that I haven’t wanted to hurl across the room.

From sephora.com:

What it is:
A professional-grade, two-in-one pencil sharpener made of an innovative, biodegradable, and sustainable bio-polymer.

What it does:
The Eco Biodegradable Sharpener is a perfect accessory to your cosmetic collection. This sharpener not only accomodates a multitude of pencil sizes, but you can feel confident knowing that you are also helping the environment when you dispose of it. The corn-based PLA body of this sharpener is biologically degradable, while the blade is recyclable. Made in Germany, the carbon steel blades give your pencils the perfect pointed tips for flawless application.

What else you need to know:
This sharpener can be used with a multitude of pencils, sized from 8mm to 12mm. It includes a removable pick tucked neatly into the body to help dislodge the toughest pieces of shavings and lead from the blade.

Sharpest tips EVRRRR

Every successful kitten flick I wore this summer, I totally owe to this sharpener. You know how sometimes you’ll sharpen a pencil, and the end will get nice and pointy but then immediately when you run it across your skin the tip breaks off? That happens to me all the time…but never with this sharpener. The blades whittle dull tips into sharp points with just a few twists and turns, yet they still hold back juuuuuust enough from going past the point of no return.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Half ‘N’ Half Lipstick

August 19th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

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.

MAC Half ‘N Half Lipstick ($18.50) is a neutral girl’s neutral — a nude pinkish brown with a creamy finish that you can wear with warm Havana eyeshadow, neutral golden brown Soba, or cool-toned taupe Omega, plus each and every natural-looking neutral in between.

You want pigment? Girl, you got pigment. You want shine? Half ‘N Half has you covered, and since Half ‘N Half has MAC’s intense Amplified formula, you can swipe once and ask questions (or reapply) later.

Like, much later.

Three or four hours, even.

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New From Honest Beauty: Liquid Lipstick

August 6th, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

honest beauty happiness — Happiness — an aptly named bright peachy pink 😊

If you feel like you can’t toss your high pony, toast a Pop Tart, or brush the cat fur from your shoulder without bumping into a liquid lipstick, you’re not alone. Especially over the past few years, they’ve been errrrywhere — from fancy brands like Chanel to big drugstore lines (I like the ones from Maybelline and Physicians Formula), and at all price points in between.

Now there’s a “clean” beauty option from Honest Beauty, and guess what? It’ll make you cabbage patch right outta your office chair, which is what happened to me when I tried one of the nudes.

Mauve nude BFF is the perfect “there but not there” lip color (and you know I love me a nude lip!).

I’ve tested four of the seven shades, and all of them feel smooth and flexible on my lips. The mousse-like formula stays put through breakfast, lunch, snacks and copious amounts of coffee and water without settling into my horizontal lip lines. Plus, most importantly, NO CAT BUTT LIPS. 😄

Even after wearing one for a full day, my lips feel comfortable and moisturized, and there’s nary a flake in sight the next day.

honest beauty goddess — Goddess (a bright reddish pink)

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New From Urban Decay: Stay Naked Foundation and Concealer, and Vice Lip Chemistry

July 26th, 2019 by Karen 5 Comments

urban decay stay naked foundation concealer top — At Urban Decay, nudity rules.

Keep your underwear on, please. Even though Urban Decay wants you to Stay Naked, I would strongly urge you against going completely commando, because hello! — air conditioning is no joke!

Stay Naked, a new collection available meow from UD, includes a liquid foundation, concealer and sheer lip tints.

STAY NAKED WEIGHTLESS LIQUID FOUNDATION, $39

What is this — blood magic? Because one layer of Urban Decay’s new medium-coverage, pore-blurring Stay Naked Foundation hides uneven pigmentation on my cheeks without masking my freckles. It’s exactly the kind of sheer, barely-there coverage I love, and even though the matte finish is juuuuust starts out being a tad too matte for my taste (I’m a dewy kinda gal), it mellows out over the course of about an hour into something more satiny and natural looking — like an ever-so-slightly perfected version of natural skin. It’s one of those base products that looks better and better as the day goes on.

urban decay stay naked foundation swatches — I tested the following shades of the concealer and foundation, and the closest foundation match to my skin is 51WY, although right now it’s a little light for me because I’m tanner than usual at the moment. The concealers I tried are *waaaay* lighter than I’d normally wear, but I tried them anyway to see if I liked the texture and finish. By the way, I’m an NC42 in MAC.

If you’ve ever tried and liked Estée Lauder Double Wear Light, you’ll probably love Stay Naked, too. It very much looks and feels like that underrated foundation hero, but UD’s comes in a BILLION different undertones for cool, warm and olive tones, as well as 50 different colors.

Site note: The Fenty effect is still alive and well!

STAY NAKED WEIGHTLESS LIQUID FOUNDATION

Doesn’t oxidize
Lightweight and breathable
Touchy pump! (Mine squirts stuff halfway across my desk if I’m not careful.)
I’m a MAC NC42 and wear 51WY.
I like to apply it with a synthetic buffing brush for the most natural coverage.
Looks like real skin in all types of lighting.
Long-wearing and sticks to skin like glue, even if you rub at it aggressively.

You’ll probably also like this if you like the sheerness of a BB cream, tinted moisturizer, or even something like MAC Face and Body, but you just want a little more coverage (but not full-on opacity). I think it’s more like an intense tinted moisturizer — like, if you took Laura Mercier’s classic TM and added a few drops of a full-coverage concealer to it.

STAY NAKED CORRECTING CONCEALER, $29

Along with the foundation, UD also recently launched a new line of complementary liquid Stay Naked Concealers. Like the new base, Stay Naked Concealer is lightweight and long-wearing with a matte finish, but the coverage is completely opaque, with high pigment on par with full-coverage baddies like Tarte Shape Tape. Just for fun (and for old time’s sake), I packed it on beneath my eyes and was wowed by the fact that it refused to settle into my fine lines and did not look heavy at all.

urban decay stay naked foundation concealer — I’m wearing the foundation in 51WY, concealer in 50WY, and Love Child Vice Chemistry

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