Makeup

A Little Bit of MAC Club

December 4th, 2024 by Karen 4 Comments

I’m hesitant to say that I’ve got my makeup mojo back because I feel like the moment that I say that I’ll revert to just wearing brow pencil and tinted sunscreen for three years, as one does, but I’m gonna go ahead and risk it and say that it all started with a little bit of Club.

You know, MAC Club eyeshadow? Of course you do. It’s a classic.

Last week, out of nowhere, I thought to myself, “I really need to wear Club.” It’s been years since I’ve wanted to deal with complicated eye makeup, but I got the urge, so I went with it.

My makeup collection is pretty barren compared to the thick of MBB’s beauty blogging days, but I’ve held on to this ancient Monster’s Bride palette from —I don’t even wanna say the year. LOL! I’ve always loved the shadows, especially Club.

I took a little bit of Club, popped it on my lids and smoothed out the edges with a fluffy brush dipped in face powder.

Oh, and this is when I figured out that you can leave behind the urge to blend eight different eyeshadows on your lids, but you cannot leave behind the urge to smooth out your eyeshadow edges into a nice gradient, ha ha ha!

Anyway, like I said, Club. It will forever be etched into my heart as the eyeshadow that helped me get at least a little bit of my makeup mojo back. Since that day last week, I’ve felt like putting at least one shade on my lids. I figure that it’s not too hard, right? I can do that. Plus, I want to do it.

So yeah, lately I’ve been wearing one shade of eyeshadow from my lash line up until my mid crease area, and you know what? It makes me so, so happy.

And that’s all I really want for makeup, you know? I just want it to make me feel happy when I wear it.

I want to feel good when I have it on, and for right now a little bit of MAC eyeshadow feels really good.

Wish me lots of makeup luck, and I’ll send lots your way, too because why not? ‘Tis the season to wear a little eyeshadow!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Little Moments of Magic

April 25th, 2024 by Karen 4 Comments

I’ve been trying to recognize small moments of wonder throughout my week. Here’s some small moments of magic that’ve happened so far!

1. A good makeup day with Westman Atelier

Lately, before work, I only have about 5-10 minutes, max, to paint my face. Honestly, sometimes my makeup comes out kinda dicey but doable, but other times, like this week, it’s been really nice, all thanks to the foundation stick and the blush and lip cream from Westman Atelier. Both things made it entirely possible to look chic and pulled together in no time at all.

I wear the shade Atelier VI in the foundation stick, and the lip and cheek cream I’ve got is a bright, warm pink called Poppet. It looks good with bronze eyeshadow, by the way.

Um, and yeah, that’s me sitting in my car waiting to go into the office. I like to get there early, so I don’t have to feel rushed in the morning. Anywho, I had a really good makeup day yesterday!

2. Butterflies everywhere I look

I was on campus and ran into the most beautiful monarch butterfly. She was huge and stopped by right in front of me on the grass to say hello.

We hung out for a couple minutes before she went on her merry way.

3. A bright spot in the neighborhood

There’s a house here in town that’s been doing fun displays in their front yard, and earlier this week I ran into their newest one, which includes characters from “Winnie the Pooh,” one of my favorite books when I was young.

I love how Tigger, Pooh and his friends look like they’re playing in a garden.

They’re also hosting a book fair and bake sale soon, too. So fun!

Have you had any small moments of magic this week?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Amika Dry Shampoo Is Awesome | Important Lessons on Aging

April 17th, 2024 by Karen 6 Comments

Love this stuff

My main criteria for dry shampoo is how my day-two roots feel after a few sprays. If they’re stiff and coated in a thick layer of crusty powder, forget about it! I prefer lightweight sprays that virtually disappear into the hair yet still manage to soak up any jankiness.

For years my go-to has been Oribe dry shampoo, which I think is great at doing this, but you know. Sometimes it’s nice to have dry shampoo choices, especially one that isn’t $52 (!) for a bottle.

Enter the $28 Perk Up Dry Shampoo by Amika. It just takes a few shots to oily roots to, well, perk ‘em up!

I really like this a lot. I only have to use very little, and the spray is so fine, so there’s no need for me to massage any excess product into salt-n-pepper hair.

It soaks up all the excess oil, too, without that heavy, thick feeling.

Bonus, I like the faint floral scent. Everything triggers migraines for me these days, and this is subtle enough to not.

If you’re looking for a new dry shampoo to add to your rotation, try it.

Listen to this ASAP

I’m on a Mel Robbins Podcast kick these days because her shows teach me so much good stuff! Here’s one that I found truly enlightening on menopause. I don’t know much about it, but I’d like to learn as much as I can as I move into the later stages in life. This episode covers what it is and how it’s often dismissed by the medical community, and it offers some good tips on how you can keep your body strong and healthy as it changes when you get older. I found it really helpful.

Please give it a listen if you have a chance.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Marvelous Makeup Cleanser and 3 Game-Changing Things for Better Mornings

April 16th, 2024 by Karen 2 Comments

I really wanted the Oat Cleansing Balm makeup remover by the Inkey List to smell like a freshly baked oatmeal cookie. Alas, it’s more like uncooked oatmeal when you first open the packaging. Kinda earthy. I don’t mind it!

This balm is a first cleanse which removes all your makeup, even waterproof. I’ve heard good things about it, but what interested me the most was the affordable price. For a pretty substantial 5-ounce tube, it’s a mere $13. You know I love a good deal!

I’ve been using it for the past few days to remove my, quote unquote, work face, which isn’t really complicated in the makeup department but does involve long-wearing eye make up products, including a water resistant mascara and a gel liner that hangs on for dear life. Side note, Rare Beauty is where it’s at, man!

Oat Cleansing Balm melts them both right off, but FYI, you like to wear liner on your waterline, I’d advise using an additional eye makeup remover, because I’ll get this temporary cloudy haze in my eyes. (That happens to me sometimes with certain cleansing balms.)

Considering the amount you get for the price, I don’t mind it. This is a great deal.

I’ve been binge listening the Mel Robbins podcast, which I stumbled onto while browsing through Spotify.

In the span of two days I’ve learned SO. MUCH. STUFF. And it’s useful!

I’ve been looking for solutions to help me not be so freaking tired all the time. Seriously, if there is a way to find even just the tiniest bit of extra energy, I’ll try it, which is what led me to this particular podcast about three things you can do to have better mornings.

Anyway, I’ve been trying these things for the past few days, and my goodness. I think it might actually work!

Oh, not gonna lie, I was terrified to try water before coffee in the morning because I love coffee so much. It’s been four days now, and I’m still standing and functioning! Anywho, give it a listen.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Lip of the Day: The Newly Reformulated MAC Maximal Velvet Teddy, Eclipse Adventures and What’s for Lunch

April 9th, 2024 by Karen 7 Comments

First things first, I’m not mad at the newly reformulated Velvet Teddy Maximal Lipstick by MAC. I know!

I thought I’d be grumpy about it after taking Sweet Deal for a spin last week and feeling underwhelmed by the experience, but the wear time on Velvet Teddy 2.0 is almost as good as the original, and it’s less drying on my lips.

If Velvet Teddy is a frequent flyer in your makeup rotation, don’t worry. This new version does alright.

Secondly, I totally forgot to mention the eclipse when I was writing the Monday Poll yesterday morning. I didn’t remember it until I saw a couple of telescopes and various eclipse-related accoutrements on campus.

I was oddly thrilled by the low-tech things, including the shadows created by the colander and by the eclipse glasses.

Did you catch it at all yesterday? I hope you did because even though we didn’t get totality here in Northern California, it was still very cool.

Last but not least, a totally random question. What’s for lunch today? I’m mostly asking on behalf of my tum. LOL!

I’ve been coming home for lunch lately, and to save time, I usually set aside some leftovers or make a sandwich the night before so I can just walk through the door and gobble something down. I didn’t do that last night, though, so I have no lunch plans yet. I need some inspo!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Lip of the Day: MAC Sweet Deal Maximial Lipstick

April 2nd, 2024 by Karen 6 Comments

There are some things one could always rely on like the sun rising and setting, internet cats doing silly things, chin hairs spontaneously sprouting in the middle of a meeting and MAC matte lipsticks gripping onto one’s lips for dear life.

That feeling of the distinct MAC matte formula cemented to my pout—there was nothing like it!

MAC’s newly reformulated take on matte lippie via the MAC Maximal lipsticks removes that “grippy” feeling that made MAC lipsticks so long lasting. I’m wearing the shade Sweet Deal here, by the way. It’s a neutral pink.

In some ways, this new version is refreshing. It’s so lightweight that I often forget that I’m wearing it. It’s comfortable, and the matte finish is so smooth and beautiful—a modern take on matte, even. But it just doesn’t last as long. I drink a cup of coffee and it’s gone.

I used to apply an OG MAC Matte lippie in the morning and it would still be around after lunch. I think when they decided to swap the old formula in lieu of this new version, they decided that ladies and gents and everyone in between wouldn’t mind the limited wear time.

I miss the ability to put my lipstick on and just forget about it for a few hours, but I guess some things never change, including the desire to reformulate a perfectly good lipstick.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: Taylor Swift Week, Red Lip Drama and Work Things

January 26th, 2024 by Karen 11 Comments

On Sunday, Connor declared that it was going to be Taylor Swift week at our house, so we’ve been listening to Taylor Swift music all week long. My new favorite Taylor song is “Bejeweled.”

It’s one of those songs that took a while to grow on me. When I first heard it, I thought, “Eh, it’s okay,” but the more I listened to it, the more I liked it.

I also wore red lipstick every day to work as a homage to T-Swift! In the pic above I’m wearing MAC Retro Matte in Feels so Grand.

You know how sometimes when you put on red lipstick, one side looks a little wonky, so you try to correct it, and then next thing you know, the other side looks wonky, and you correct the other side, but then another part starts to look funny, and it goes on and on and on? That’s what happened here. Miraculously, it eventually worked out, and I made it to work on time.

Speaking of work, it’s been going great. I enjoy helping instructors and students, and every once in a while I get to flex my writing and editing skills.

The pace is very different compared to what I’m used to in marketing/creative in the private sector. People actually hang out, ya know, at the water cooler. It’s so wild to me, especially after years of solely interacting socially on Zoom. When you work online, there’s never really that time to just run into someone in the hallway or the break room and chat. It’s refreshing.

I do find, though, that even though I enjoy the social aspects of the job, that I need time to be by myself throughout the day. Occasionally I’ll go into my office and just retreat (I call it “hermit crabbing”) for a while so I can be alone.

Speaking of offices, I recently realized that there are things about shared office spaces that I haven’t had to think about in forever.

(TMI moment ahead, by the way.)

I used to eat whatever I wanted during lunch because it was just me and Rosie at home, but now that there’s other people in the mix — forget about it.

I realized that there are certain, ahem, gassy foods I now have to avoid at lunch if I’m going to be amongst other people. One cannot just eat lentil soup without suffering the consequences!

The other day I brought an eggroll in a bowl dish with tons of shredded cabbage, and it was so hard to, uh, keep things to myself, if you know what I mean.

Did I mention that I share an office with someone, and we have a window that can’t open? HA HA HA!

Anywho, overall work’s been fine. It’s such a big weight off my shoulders knowing that I have something steady that’s not going anywhere (knock on wood because you never know).

It’s allowed my mind to have lots more mental space to be creative.

Hope things are going well with you. Happy Friday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Really Important Things (Not Really) That I Think About When I’m Washing Makeup Brushes

January 17th, 2024 by Karen 4 Comments

I found a stash of Keurig coffee cups at the office. They’re squirreled away in a cabinet that’s supposed to contain stuff for everyone to use, but I don’t think most people would bother to check it. I wanna be a team player and tell my office mates about the stash, but I also want to have ALL THAT COFFEE to myself, ha ha ha!

Also, I really can’t hang with this rainy weather. I keep telling myself that longer days are just around the corner, but it’s been gray and dreary a lot here, and I just wanna feel the sun on my skin and be outside in warm, fresh air.

If you’re feeling the rain and wanna set a moody a vibe, though, FYI, I just discovered a really lovely rainy day song called “Glitter” by Patrick Droney. The perfect type of bittersweet song for a cozy afternoon.

Oh! At lunch today, I realized that “Trader Joe’s Salad Hacks” should totally be a thing. Today, I had their pre-packaged Pasadena salad, which is pretty good on its own (chopped romaine, slivered almonds, chicken, and the crunchy white bits you’d find in a Chinese chicken salad). But I found out it’s even better when you add a scoop of crispy chickpeas (highly recommend the Sea Salt flavor by Biena) and a scoop of hemp hearts. It was SUPER GOOD, and it held me over for hours.

Completely not related to salad at all, but I ran out of brow pencil a few days ago, and I’m contemplating going back to the Chanel Boy brow pencil I was using and loving a while back. I’ve been all doing old school Anastasia Brow Wiz for the last few months and it’s fine, I guess, but you know how it goes. One gets itchy to swap out the same-o-same-o for something different. At least I do, ha!

Speaking of Chanel, I’ve been thinking about their awesome red nail polishes because I saw a reel on Instagram where a gal talked about wearing short red nails for a whole year. A WHOLE YEAR!

Can you even imagine, in this day and age, with all the access to different colors that we have, doing short red nails for an entire year?

She made a good case for it, though, and said that it freed her up from spending any time having to make nail polish decisions, and that she always felt chic, and that red goes with most everything. I’m thinking of trying it, but I’m definitely not ready to commit to a whole year. Maybe three months? I’ve been slacking when it comes to manicures and hoping this will get me back in the groove.

What’s going on with you? I hope life is treating you well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen