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Make Up For Ever

Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick Swatches, and a Favorite Piece of Writing

May 3rd, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

make up for ever artist rouge lipsticks
A few fun, summery shades from Make Up For Ever’s permanent collection ($22 each)

Been thinking about this poem a lot lately. At my first job in San Francisco, my boss had this on the wall of his office, and every few years I re-read it and fall in love with it again.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

— Max Ehrmann

And because this is still technically a makeup blog, some of the bright, cheerful shades from the Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick Line…

The tube tips look crazy, right? They’re actually really good at getting into the corners. I just wish it was easier to keep them sharp.

make up for ever artist rouge creme c306
Artist Rouge Creme in C306, a pinkish coral

make up for ever artist rouge creme c206
Artist Rouge Creme in C206, a bright pink

[Continue reading…]

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, Make Up For Ever, Makeup

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow in L-54

January 8th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

make up for ever aqua paint l54 k
Eye makeup done in two minutes or less with this bad gal!

I call this terrific tiny taupe my “Speed Racer shadow,” because it dries f-a-s-t, and because I can never remember what it’s actually called, haha.

But seriously, it’s Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow in L-54, a $25 cream shadow (0.16-oz tube) in MUFE’s Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow line.

In a nutshell, I it, despite the fact that it dries very quickly, which I normally wouldn’t be into because I like having time to play and blend and move stuff around, but it depends on my mood. Lately I’ve been into doing super fast eye makeup, which these are great for.

I dunno, it’s weird… I feel like I finally found my calling, like THIS was the reason I was put on this earth, to figure out every available path to putting on makeup in 10 or 15 minutes, and then spilling the beans about it.

Anyway, random tangent, LOL! What was I saying again…?

make up for ever aqua paint l54 k
I love how L-54 closely hugs my skin and doesn’t look like it’s just sitting right on top of it.

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.

Oh, yeah, Speed Racer, a.k.a L-54, dries extremely quickly, but there’s something about that luster, which is sort of halfway between a shimmer and a matte, that still gives you enough time to move it around and blend it without any brouhaha, even though in real time it sets in less than a minute. Literally, 60 seconds is all you get before it sets, but you don’t need more time than that, because this thing is genius.

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There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Make Up For Ever, Makeup, Product Reviews, Unsung Heroes

The 3 Best Makeup Setting Sprays to Stop Your Face From Melting Off in the Heat

June 21st, 2017 by Karen 27 Comments

best setting sprays
The best setting sprays for hella hot weather!

It’s hot today in the North Bay (or, as we say in the Bay Area, it’s “HELLA hot here right now”). It’s a heat wave.

Weirdly, it’s been way hotter here in Novato than it was in Hawaii last week.

Super hot and super sweaty. Currently, my house is like an armpit, so baby and I are going to escape to air-conditioned pastures in a bit, but before we go, let’s talk makeup setting sprays…

When it’s hot like this, they’re a must for me, and here are a few I love.

1. Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix O2 ($30)

The best all-rounder. You can probably guess that this one’s my fave because — look, there’s only a teeny bit left in the bottle! 🙂 It doesn’t matter what type of finish I’m wearing (matte, dewy, glittery, shimmery, whatever!), it holds on to everything and keeps it in place.

I can sweat like crazy — even rub at my eyes or touch my face — and it keeps whatever I’m wearing from melting off or disappearing.

make up for ever mist fix
Note to self: restock this soon,
as in almost immediately

Also, I think Mist & Fix is the best spray for applying shimmer eyeshadows, glitter shadows and/or loose pigments with a wet brush because it’s almost like a lightweight liquid glue. It doesn’t leave your lids or your face feeling tacky or anything like that, and yet somehow binds those shimmery or glittery particles to the skin.

2. Urban Decay Chill ($31)

The best for dewy skin looks, and you know I’m all about that dewy skin. 🙂 I think Chill is the best spray for that type of look.

It’s weird, but there’s a very fine line between dewy skin and skin that looks oily, right? A little shine is good — great, even! — but too much shine starts to look greasy. Chill walks that line without crossing it, and it feels fab, too. There’s a slight cooling sensation, so when you spray it on a hot day, ah… It’s so refreshing.

urban decay chill
Just Chill, babe

Did I mention that it creates the finest mist ever? The droplets are finer than those of the other the sprays I use, and it’s a wide mist. A single spritz covers a lot of area.

3. Shiseido Ibuki Quick Fix Mist ($25)

The best for keeping shine in check. I use this spray when I do matte looks or when my combo skin is oilier than usual. It has what Shiseido calls an “Anti-Shine Complex” to keep greasy spots in check, and dang if doesn’t werk! When I use this, I feel like my skin looks like it did in the ’90s (from what I remember, haha) — uber-matte, with no shine whatsoever.

shiseido ibuki
T-rex claw in full effect, yo!

The mist kinda bugs me, though… Sometimes big droplets hit my face in random spots, but other than that, it’s good stuff.

Stay cool in the heat, babe!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 27 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, Make Up For Ever, Makeup, Product Reviews, Shiseido, Urban Decay

Purple Power! A New Purple Liner Love I Found at Sephora

May 16th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

purple eyeliners
Kindasorta obsessed with purple at the moment. Here’s an assortment of old faves (and a new one!) from the top: MAC Eye Kohl in Prunella ($17), Urban Decay Glide on Eye Pencil in Vice ($20), Sephora Colorful Shadow & Liner in Violet ($14), Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eye Pencil in 1-90 ($21) and MAC Pearlglide Intense in Designer Purple ($17)

It’s both wonderful and terrifying to live so close to a Sephora, because when I get on a makeup whim, I can just hop in my car, and BAM! Five minutes later I’ve got every purple liner in the store swatched on the back of my hand.

Yeah, I’m going through a purple liner phase right meow, big time (in case you haven’t noticed, LOL!). I love the look of a warm brown lid with purple liner on the lash lines. I’ve just been into it lately! Please be patient with me as I work my way through it…

Anyways, Connor convinced me to go to Sephora last Friday (yes, it was all the baby’s doing), so we went looking for a new purple to add to my collection. This latest love is a shade called Violet by Sephora Collection.

sephora violet
Violet!

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There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Make Up For Ever, Makeup, Product Reviews, Sephora, Urban Decay

Get Fresh-Looking Skin in a Flash With Three Products

April 17th, 2017 by Karen 28 Comments

fresh skin in a flash top pic
Keepin’ it simple

Holy, mackerel! I’m amazed (and sometimes intimidated, to be honest) by how complicated some YouTube makeup tutorials are, even when it comes to foundation and under-eye concealer.

Sometimes I don’t mind following a lot of steps, but it depends on whether I’m just having fun, or whether I’m watching the clock. When it comes to my basic face makeup aesthetic, though, which is effortless (looking) and natural, I don’t necessarily think that your face makeup routine needs to be complicated.

You can get fresh-looking skin in a flash with three products — a sheer foundation (or a BB cream, CC cream or tinted moisturizer), a full-coverage concealer and a face powder. You can even out your skin tone, keep the coverage looking light, and it doesn’t have to take forever.

Step 1: Prep

Start by applying moisturizer and/or primer to your skin to prep it and smooth your canvas for foundation.

Or…you can skip this step and just make funny faces ? in the mirror. Totally up to you. Your foundation might not look quite as smooth, but it’ll still look fine.

Oh, hai!

Step 2: Grab your favorite sheer foundation and a full-coverage concealer

Put one or two pumps of your favorite sheer foundation (or BB cream, CC cream or tinted moisturizer) on the back of your hand, then add one or two dots of full-coverage concealer, and mix them all together with a finger.

Adding the full-coverage concealer dots boosts the coverage of your sheer foundation to even out your skin a bit more, and it also saves you from having to apply and blend concealer on top of your foundation.

Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Concealer in Y41 and MAC Next to Nothing Foundation in Medium Plus

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There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, MAC Makeup, Make Up For Ever, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Top Posts

Make Up For Ever Star Lit Powder: I’ll Happily Navigate by This Star

March 22nd, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

make up for ever star lit powder top
Make Up For Ever Star Lit Powder

Do these jars of Make Up For Ever Star Lit Powder look like something from Ursa Major?

make up for ever star lit powder big dipper

LOL! Seriously, these things are shiny, man! If it was just you on a boat and these Star Lit Powders, you could navigate your way back to land.

SO SHINY.

100% Instagram-friendly highlighter

If there were an official OTT Instagram-friendly highlighter, this would be it. Each of the eight $21 shades has 0.09 ounces of loose, shimmery powder that you can wear wet or dry on your eyes, lips or cheeks.

make up for ever star lit powder swatches
Make Up Forever Star Lit Powder swatches from the left in 19, 15, 13 and 02

INTENSE pearl

The shimmer is less like a glitter and more like an intense pearl. As highlighters, these are a little too bada-bing-bada-bang for me, but I like them as lid colors, because when you get them right up next to a satin or a matte in the crease, the high-shine POPS! — and if you have hooded, or slightly hooded, lids like I do, it makes your crease look deeper, like it’s comin’ right atcha.

[Continue reading…]

There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Make Up For Ever, Makeup, Product Reviews

The Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Brow Palettes in Harmony 1 and Harmony 2

March 8th, 2017 by Karen 4 Comments

make up for ever pro brow sculptor before after
Make Up For Ever Pro Brow Sculptor in Harmony 2, before and after

Why are eyebrows so fickle? One day they’re well-behaved, upstanding young citizens. The next day, they’re rambunctious teenagers (yes, I said rambunctious) who refuse to listen to me no matter what. AAARRRGH!

Whenever I’m dealing with the latter, in brow parlance, I take a break from my regular routine, and look for something new. And lately that’s been the new Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Brow Palettes.

There are two of them — Harmony 1 for blonde to dark hair, and Harmony 2, which is the one I use, for brown to black hair — and they’re $42 each.

They come with three matte brow powders (a lighter shade, a medium shade and a darker one), a clear brow wax, a matte beige cream highlighter and a dual-ended applicator with a spoolie and a stiff angled brush.

make up for ever pro brow sculptor
The Make Up For Ever Pro Brow Sculptors in Harmony 2 and Harmony 1 ($42 each)

[Continue reading…]

There are 4 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Make Up For Ever, Makeup, Product Reviews

Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighters in 01 and 02

December 30th, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments

make up for ever pro light fusion 02 k
Wearing Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighter in 02 on my upper cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose (P.S. Big hair don’t care)

Serious question: How did we survive without highlighter?

Sure, it’s not as essential as oxygen, food, Nutella, Netflix or water, but 10 years ago I didn’t even own a single highlighter, and now I have a drawer filled with them (all of which are necessary, of course).

And that drawer just keeps getting fuller and fuller. The latest additions to it have been the gorgeous Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion powder highlighters, which are $39 each and available now.

Basically, I think they’re epic. They have the same glossy, dewy finish as the MAC Cream Colour Bases, which have a fabulously shiny highlighter finish that stops short of frosty, but they come in a super fine powder formula instead of a cream.

Seriously, run a fingertip across one of the pans, and you can’t even see the grains!

I still love me some MAC CCB (especially Hush; it’s my jam), but I have room in my heart for perfect powder highlighters like these, which have a bit more oomph on my skin than MAC’s creams.

Also, if you love the wet finish that you get with the MAC CCBs (or, really, cream highlighters in general), but, for whatever reason, creams slip right off (it happens with oily skin a lot), these MUFE Pro Fusions might be an option for you because the powder grains really stay put on the skin.

make up for ever pro light fusion swatches
Swatches of the Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighters in 01 (top) and 02 (bottom)

Plus, hi! — that gorgeous, glossy glow…

It may be more accurate to call them opalescent. They shimmer, but the shimmer is a step up from the Hourglass Ambient Powders, and a step down from the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighters, which places them roughly halfway between “Wait, are you even wearing highlighter?” and “Hello, I can see your highlighter from across the Golden Gate Bridge!”

If you’re wondering why you should bother with a mid-level shimmer highlighter like this one, well, they really help with the big pore situation, I’ll tell you that much. No O.T.T. frosty highlighters for this girl. (At least, not until a beauty genius invents a permanent pore-shrinking solution… Somebody get on that, ASAP!)

make up for ever pro light fusion 01
Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighter in 01

[Continue reading…]

There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Make Up For Ever, Makeup, Product Reviews

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