Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Nails

Beauty and a Book: Chanel Ballerina and “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”

by 8 Comments

The beauty, Chanel Le Vernis in Ballerina

Sure, everyone needs a classic nude nail polish that’s pretty and presentable, but if it can also make you feel super special when you wear it, then it’s that much more wonderful. That’s how I feel about Chanel’s iconic pale pink polish, Ballerina.

When I wear this milky pastel, which by the way, is the exact shade of pink ballet shoes, my fingernails feel bejeweled. There’s something about the creaminess and the smoothness of Ballerina that gives off a luxe vibe. Understated yet sophisticated.

Milky pastels can often be tricky because they tend to streak if you don’t have a super steady hand. This formula, though, levels out perfectly. No tell-tale stripes left behind.

I really do believe everyone should have a few beauty products on hand that make you feel extra special, and this is one of those items for me.

The book, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Sometimes I just need a quick and satisfying book that’s easy to read, and this one hit the spot!

It’s about a Hollywood star and the secrets she keeps along the way in order to make it to the top of the fame game.

This book is a quick read, but the language is lovely, and Evelyn, the main character, is compelling and complicated, so I couldn’t help but pull for her along the way.

Oh, and side note, Evelyn’s daughter is named Connor. 🙂

If you want something fun and light that you can knock out on a weekend or during a long plane ride, grab this book ASAP.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Fun with Summer Brights with Olive & June Jellies, Part Deux

by 3 Comments

When you nails match the flowers!

The Olive & June Nail Polish Remover Pot is like the gift that keeps on giving! I just figured out yet another reason why I love it so much; it makes it really easy to remove any excess oils or lotions or products from nails before laying down that first layer of polish.

Side note, apparently this is a critical prep step, and if you skip it, then your polish won’t grip onto your nail as effectively, so you risk it chipping more readily.

So, say for example, you’re about to paint your nails, but you give yourself a quick hand massage with a rich lotion and cuticle oil. You have to remove all those products from your nails first before painting them.

I feel like this is one of those steps that I learned a loooong time ago but kinda forgot – whoops!

I love this thing!

Basically it’s no effort to pop a finger into the pot and wipe off whatever lotions or whatnot are on my fingers at that moment.

Anywho, this pot that is giving me so much unexpected joy, LOL!

The sun is finally out in Marin County, so I grabbed the chance to walk around the neighborhood with freshly painted paws, which were Olive & June, of course. The shades I’m wearing happen to go perfectly with all the blooming trees and plants. 🙂

Bocce Ball is Olive & June’s bright green with a jelly finish. Flowerpot is also a jelly, but in a terracotta shade. Both remind me so much of summer days spent just hanging out in nature.

Two layers of Olive & June Flowerpot
Olive & June Bocce Ball

Like the other polishes from the summer collection, the jellies have an element of transparency that’s not immediately apparent when you see them from an arm’s length away. Get up close, though, and you’ll notice the whites of your nails peeking through the polish, which is kinda cool.

Two layers of Bocce Ball (and my neighbor’s amazing jade plant)

It’s been a minute since I’ve felt excited to do nails, so I’m really happy this manicure set came into my life.

For a while painting my nails felt tedious, and I think part of it was because I didn’t really have a centralized kit with all my stuff in it. I have a drawer that I chuck polishes into along with random bits and bobs for nail maintenance. It’s low key out of control and hard to find stuff. Not fun. Now that I have a cute box with everything I need, it just makes it really easy and pleasant.

Another thing that I think made it feel like a chore was that I didn’t realize until the last few months that I needed to be wearing reading glasses! I’ve basically been painting my nails half blind for over a year now… YOWZA. It’s a whole new world when you can see what you’re actually doing, which leads me to another thing that I wanted to ask you about — READING GLASSES. If you have any recommendations for brands/styles, please let me know. I need a few new pairs.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Fun with Olive & June Summer Brights

by 6 Comments

Two coats of How Do You Spell Bougainvillea?

OK, whatever you do, do not — DO NOT! — attempt to remove your pedicure polish by sticking a toe into the Olive & June Nail Polish Remover Pot.

I’m going to file this life lesson under “things that seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Ha ha ha!

For removing nail polish off of fingers, though, is another story. It’s super easy — pop you nail into the pot, which has a presoaked sponge inside, and move it around a few times.

It’s lot less hassle compared to having to get a cotton pad and a bottle of nail polish remover. It’s so easy, in fact, I’m making it the my weekly nail upkeep routine.

Anywho! Painting nails has been really fun with the Olive & June Mani System that my friend Marisol gifted me for my birthday. Connor has been enjoying it too, and she even volunteered to help out with a couple swatches.

Two coats of House of O&J (left) and two coats of Not a Cloud (right)

We’re wearing three of the six new summer shades! On my fingers, I’m wearing two coats of How Do You Spell Bougainvillea? Connor’s sporting two coats of House of O&J and Not a Cloud.

One thing that’s interesting to me about these particular shades is that they have a level of coverage that’s not quite opaque, so even with two coats, you can see a bit of the whites of your nails coming through if you look very closely. (You can’t see it from an arm’s length away, in case you’re wondering.)

These shades have a tiny smidge of translucency, which seems to be on-trend with all the jelly manis that’ve been happening lately!

I naturally prefer a solid block of color, but the more I wear the jelly-style shades, the more I like it, go figure.

All this to say — even when you know exactly what you like, you just never know if you’ll be into a new trend until you try it. 🙂

Have you tried this type of jelly mani yet? I think you should give it a go!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, June 10, 2023!

by 5 Comments

It’s a colorful kind of Saturday

Good morning and happy Saturday!

I’m still riding on a big wave of birthday joy and wanted to thank you for your well-wishes and for sharing sweet stories of good things that’ve happened to you lately. You brought a smile to my face.

On a beauty note, how cute is this rainbow of nail polish by Olive & June? A friend gave me the Mani System for my birthday, and so after many, many weeks of dark, moody Chanel nails, I think it’s time for something bright.

These shades are from Olive & June’s summer collection. From the left to right…

  • Starshower — A clear rose gold glitter
  • How Do You Spell Bougainvillea? — A hot magenta purple
  • Flowerpot — A burt orange terracotta
  • Bocce Ball — A fresh grassy green
  • Not a Cloud — A cloudless skin blue
  • House of O&J — A regal deep purple
  • The Top Coat — A glossy top coat

Are you doing nails today, too? If yes, what color? 🙂

This week’s reading


The music of my formative years!


I like the low-maintenance part


I did this the other day and it was so fun


Pretty purple


Ohemgee, SUN IN!


One of the greats

I hope the rest of your weekend is relaxing and peaceful.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Favorite Chanel Dark Nail Polishes for a Short, Chic Mani

by 9 Comments

Chanel Oiseau de nuit, le diable en chanel rouge noir
Chanel Nail Polishes from the left: 141 Oiseau De Nuit, 155 Rouge Noir and 161 Le Diable En Chanel

I wasn’t kidding about short, dark nails doing *the most* for me for summer polish. These three Chanel shades, which are from the newly revamped nail polish line, make me swoon!

141 Oiseau De Nuit

My favorite is the shade I’ve been wearing on my fingers for almost a month now, 141 Oiseau de Nuit, a rich, blackened deep purple with a shiny finish. I think it’s moody and chic with just a touch of edginess, and when it’s worn with minimal summer makeup and a casual bun or ponytail, the whole look is VERY cool.

Chanel 141 Oiseau De Nuit
Chanel 141 Oiseau De Nuit

I really like the wide brush, which is flat and spreads easily across my nails. I can easily paint the polish from base to tip in a few quick strokes.

I think the formula is better than the previous iteration of Chanel nail polish, too. It does a better job of leveling out, so there’s no patchiness, and you can get a full block of solid color in two coats. It seems to withstand chips better overall as well.

I’ve been testing Osieu de Nuit out with various top coats (Essie, OPI, etc.), and the one that was best at preventing chips and holding the color onto my nails was the new Chanel Le Gel Longwear Top Coat.

If you’re going to splurge on any of the Chanel polishes, I’d highly recommend getting the Le Gel Top Coat to go along with it!

155 Rouge Noir

Another moody shade I’ve been loving is 155 Rouge Noir, a deep, dark red which I’ve been wearing on my toes.

Chanel 155 Rouge Noir
Chanel 155 Rouge Noir

This one feels like a shade that could easily go into fall; maybe it’s because I can really see it with a dark ’90s style matte lip and a matte base? Even so, I’ll still wear it in the summer. 🙂

161 Le Diable En Chanel

Last but not least is 161 Le Diable En Chanel, a dark glossy black.

Chanel 161 Le Diable En Chanel
Chanel 161 Le Diable En Chanel

I feel like Robert Smith from The Cure would wear this when he needs to feel pampered, LOL!

Let me know if any of these catch your eye.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Happy Friday! Sunscreen, Essie Glitters, the CVS Coupon Skinny and $5 Bike Shorts from Old Navy

by 3 Comments

Girl, first off, happy Friday. It’s a hot one here in Northern California, which is why 1) I’ve spent the morning looking for shorts (hello $5 jersey bike shorts from Old Navy), and 2) I went to CVS to buy sunscreen. While I was there I had the most enlightening chat about sunscreen with another sun protection enthusiast! Gotta love those random beauty chats with strangers.

Anywho, she noticed immediately how I was carrying three bottles of sunscreen (more on this in a second), and I noticed that she had a wide brim hat and oversized sunglasses!

We got to talking about our favorite sunscreens and how we both loved trying them all. I convinced her to try a bottle of Black Girl Sunscreen Kids (SO GOOD), and she gave me the skinny on using CVS coupons.

Oh my gosh, I had no idea that CVS coupons were so good! There was a Banana Boat buy one get one 50% off sale, and I got an additional $2 off coupon on top of that. I ended up getting a $12 bottle of sunscreen for $7!

I also ended up with a 30% off coupon for my next purchase! I’m going to save it for a pricier bottle of La Roche Posay Melt In Sunscreen Milk, which is what the lady who I was chatting with ended up buying with her coupon.

Anywho, side note, all this talk about saving money means I’m officially turning into my mom. LOL!

While I was there, I also grabbed a few things from Essie: a clear Gel Couture Top Coat, two glitters (Birthday Girl and Feel the Fizzle) and a pale creamy pink Gel Couture shade called Fairy Tailor.

I’m going to do this unicorn mani I saw on Essie’s Instagram.

So pretty, right?

It’s been an exciting morning! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the day (and the weekend) has in store.

Hope you’re doing great and that you’re having a fabulous Friday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: OPI You Sustain Me, Fighting the Yuck, the Window Covering Saga, Lounge Pants and More!

by 9 Comments

Well hello, there.

Hiya! Is it Wednesday already? I haven’t left the house in three days. Before we get into the why behind that statement, so that this is marginally related to beauty, this week’s self-care mani is OPI’s Infinite Shine in You Sustain Me.

Cute, yeah? I’ve had a thing for creamy mauves lately.

We’ve been hunkered down because Connor’s been really sick. 🙁 She finally caught the respiratory virus that’s been surging in our neck of the woods over the last few months, and it’s been rough on her little body.

She hasn’t been feeling well.

Long story short, because of the pandemic, kids her age haven’t had the chance to go through the usual waves of viruses that happen to them while they’re young. Now everyone’s catching up and getting sick left and right.

Today she’s feeling a little better; I think she’s made it past the hardest part and is finally on the mend. Fingers crossed.

Painting

In addition to dealing with what we’ve been calling “fighting the yuck,” it’s been noisy as all heck outside. The exterior of our house is currently being painted (the home owners association forces everyone in our neighborhood to do it every few years), and for some reason these particular painters are very loud. There’s banging, drilling and all kinds of nonsense happening outside. My nerves are shot!

Chaos in our front yard!

On the bright side, though, I can draw the curtains (YAY) and close all the blinds and roller shades so they don’t have to see us wearing pajamas 24/7 while we’re inside.

Windows and blinds and roller shades, oh my!

It only took months, but we finally have all our window treatments done. And now I know enough about the whole process to do it again if I had to.

Shout out to Hunter Douglas blinds!
Ahh, the messiness of real life.

All I have to say is Hunter Douglas all the way! If you’re plagued with indecision when it comes to home decor (story of my life), you can’t really go wrong if you go the Hunter Douglas route. I’m really happy with how ours turned out.

The window covering saga of 2022, aka what we finally ended up getting

By the way, all these play well with the shade of paint we picked, Benjamin Moore Simply White.

Benjamin Moore Simply White

OK, what else is going on?

Movie to add to your list

I watched the movie “Where the Crawdads Sing” on Netflix the other day, which I really enjoyed.

The best lounge pants

I bought a pair of these joggers from Target for 20 bucks, and they are chef’s kiss! SO SOFT. And they have pockets! I want another pair or two or twelve. Haha.

California to Hawaii?

El Hub is actively campaigning for us to move to Hawaii. I mean… Homeboy’s been working this angle since the day I met him (local boys always want to go back, it seems), but lately it’s kicked into overdrive. I have mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand, the beach…

Advice for teeth staining

I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned last week, and the dental hygienist told me that in order to prevent staining from coffee and what not, the best time to brush your teeth is actually *before* you drink your beverage – not immediately after.

She told me if you brush immediately after drinking coffee, it just pushes the liquids into your teeth and stains them even more. According to her, it’s better to brush beforehand to remove all the plaque so that coffee/tea/whatever you’re drinking has less to stick to.

Anywho. That’s what’s been going on over here. How are things your end?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Fall Nails with OPI Malaga Wine, and Neighborhood Cat Politics

by 9 Comments

Well, hello reading glasses. I recently realized that in order to paint my nails successfully, I need to wear a pair in order to see what I’m doing. Yup, that train has arrived! And I am officially on it.

This beautiful shade by OPI is called Malaga Wine, and no joke, for the longest time I thought that it was called “Malaga Wino” because of OPI’s penchant for cheeky names. Maybe I should’ve looked at the name while wearing my reading glasses, ha ha ha!

It’s a gorgeous creamy reddish wine and very much a fall shade, and while Essie Angora Cardi will forever be my number one fall color, this is a close second. The version I have is from their Infinite Shine gel polish line, by the way, and I picked it up at Ulta. If you prefer a more traditional nail polish formulation, FYI, OPI also carries it in their regular nail polish line.

This is going to sound gross, but I kind of like how it looks like dried blood… I feel like it sends a subtle message to people not to mess with me. Side note: I wish somebody sat me down in high school to warn me that most of one’s work day is devoted to keeping a neutral face and voice while you silently rage inside.

Oh, and cat lady note, guess who stopped by this morning! My neighbor’s orange and white kitty Milo decided that he lives at our house, too. I’ve caught him rubbing the post right next to our door, an act we affectionately call “booping.”

Anyway, he left a whole bunch of boops at the front door this morning, and then he tried to actually go into our house. I was like, “Listen buddy, I love you, and you’re adorable, but Rosie-Pose will eff you up.”

I realize it’s a very cat lady thing to keep tabs on neighborhood cat politics, LOL!

Happy Tuesday to ya, and oh, before you go, let me know if you’re wearing fall-inspired nails today.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.