Product Reviews

Product Spotlight: You’ll Be Drawn to Maybelline Color Strike Cream-to-Powder Shadow Pens If You Love One-And-Done Eye Makeup

November 10th, 2020 by Karen 7 Comments

Your amusing factoid of the day!

The part of a pen responsible for the click-click-clickity sound is called “a thrust device.” 🖊️

You’re welcome! 😁

There’s no thrust device in these new $7 Maybelline Color Strike Cream-to-Shadow Pens, and aside from their cylindrical packaging, they aren’t very much like pens at all… When you twist them open, there’s a sponge tip inside, which is basically a fairly traditional preloaded eyeshadow applicator. In fact, there isn’t a felt tip or a ball-point pen applicator or a thrust device anywhere in sight.

Semantics, schemantics.

These cream shadows are great for a single, purposefully messy sweep of color on the lids because they’re only moderately pigmented, so they’re perfect for washes of quick, easy color.

The formula is on the thinner side, but I wouldn’t call it watery. It’s almost like someone melted a MAC Paint Pot and thinned it out a bit. It’s slick and slippery when it moves across your skin, and it takes some time to set, so you have a good 10-15 minutes to blend.

I would caution against using too many “pens” (“air quotes”) on your eyes in one sitting, though, because there seems to be a tipping point after which too much shadow results in the colors mushing into a muddy mess.

I also find the applicator a challenge to use and, even with the pointed sponge tip, the shadow always ends up a little bit off…which makes these difficult to use for layered looks with multiple placements.

That said, the price is right, though ($7 MSRP). They’re less than $10 each! And the wear time is fabulous. They last all day long on my dry lids with barely a hint of creasing, and that’s without using any primer with them.

If you’re a fan of one-and-done eye makeup, I think they’re great. Just remember to stick to single shadow looks, OK?

I would suggest starting with Flare, the matte cool-toned taupe. It’s the one I wear the most, and it’s a neutral everyday shadow color a lot like MAC Groundwork Paint Pot but more gray.
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Urban Decay Empire Eyeliner Is an Enchanting Jewel-Toned Gem

October 29th, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

If you like the KAPOW! of black eyeliner but usually gravitate toward subtler shades like charcoal gray and brown, first of all, HELLO, ARE WE MAKEUP TWINS? Second, check out Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Empire ($22), a jeweled eggplant purple. Allegedly, it is not magical…but I’m not so sure about that.

urban decay empire closeup — Fallin’ for purple wings

Whenever I want some serious smoke, Empire softens into a hazy, gorgeous gradient…that’s also smudge-proof when it sets and stays put on lash and water lines. You can also use the super-smooth formula to draw razor-sharp wings or trace your lash lines with skinny-mini streaks.

urban decay empire k smile — Understated purple drama

Depending on the lighting, sometimes it looks matte, and sometimes there’s a hint of shimmer.

Magic, I tell ya!

Empire is a permanent fixture in UD’s lineup. Could it be your new favorite eyeliner for fall? 🤔

Ballerina daughters

Because Rosie is my youngest child. 😊 Anyway, Connor takes a live Zoom ballet class on Wednesdays, and apparently Rosie has decided she’s a ballerina too.

She parks her torbie booty in the middle of the floor and watches Connor jump over her and twirl around. It’s the funniest thing because Rosie’s just so chill about it. I’ve never seen a cat so unbothered…

Now Connor’s ballet teacher and the other little girls are used to Rosie’s cameos in class. I’m tempted to get her a little kitty ballet tutu of her own!

I’m running to Target in a few to grab some last-minute Halloween items because it’s going to be a very IMPROV Halloween ’round these parts this year.

Remember the crazy things we did, like go to Halloween parties?

Since nobody’s really trick-or-treating in our town this year, we’re taking Coywolf to a pumpkin patch on Halloween morning, and then we’re going to carve jack-o-lanterns in the afternoon. I’m also going to try doing a Halloween candy hunt for her (kinda like an Easter Egg hunt) in our little circle, if I pull it off.

What are you up to? I hope all is well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Product Spotlight: It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare

October 13th, 2020 by Karen 17 Comments

it cosmetics your skin but better foundation skin care 1 — Well this is a gem!

This is GREAT stuff! I haven’t been this excited about a base product in eons. If you’re into a natural matte look and want a foundation that covers juuust enough, It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare is so on the money.

OK, I get it. Everyone’s masked up, we’re in a pandemic, hardly anyone’s been wanting to wear makeup, myself included, but I’ve been falling back into my face painting groove lately, and part of the reason is because of this new foundation from It Cosmetics.

It handles basically every lighting and photography situation I’ve throw it. It makes my skin look dayum good, if I do say so myself, AND IT FEELS LIKE NOTHING ON MY FACE!

Here’s Tan Warm 42.5 in natural daytime light, without any powder or primer, with a 10-minute makeup look. The eyeshadow is the Urban Decay Born to Run Palette; the blush is Charlotte Tilbury Ecstasy; and the lipstick is NUDESTIX Mystic, in case you’re wondering.

Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare is a medium-coverage liquid foundation with a very natural looking matte finish. If you want enough coverage to even out areas of pigmentation and redness, along with some minor pore blurring, but you don’t need to hide everything and the kitchen sink, it’s perfect.

Lazy ladies who still lurve wearing makeup now, this one’s for you, because there’s no trickery required to get it to look nice. I do one pump, and then use my fingers to rub and work it in. Then I quickly blend with a skunk brush, and that’s it. You don’t need a primer underneath it or a powder to set it, either. Use it all by itself, and it stays put all day long (yup, even with a mask on).

For reference, I have combo skin. It’s dry on my cheeks and around my mouth, and oily on my forehead and my nose, and this foundation handles all of the various areas well.

I think it also looks good where I have “experience lines.”

it cosmetics your skin but better foundation skin care natural light blues — Here it is in indoor natural light.

it cosmetics your skin but better foundation skin care natural light green look — Here’s the foundation in outdoor natural light.

I will say that if you’re extremely oily, you’ll probably want to set it with a light dusting of powder. I wouldn’t go too heavy with it though because this foundation’s ability to look like real skin is its superpower, and using a whole mess of powder will just undermine that magic anyway.

Also, it’s super lightweight, which I probably should’ve said right at the beginning, LOL! The formula is on the thinner side, much like Dior Nudeskin Air, so it’s featherweight and feels like nothing, which is actually the reason I started wearing it. After months of barely wearing any base, I have absolutely no tolerance for face products that feel heavy, and this one feels like nothing at all.

It’s available now at Ulta in 40 colors (hello, Fenty effect) for $39.50 each for a 1-oz. glass bottle with a pump. Oh, and speaking of colors, I wear it in Tan Warm 42.5 (but will switch to Tan Warm 41 once my toasty summer tan disappears in month or two), and this is the first time I’ve ever been able to wear an It Cosmetics foundation without having to mix it with something else. Seems like they FINALLY figured out that not every “tan” or “medium” shade has to have a sh*t-ton of peach undertones, and both Tan Warm 42.5 and 41 are pretty good matches for warm skin with yellow undertones.
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Product Spotlight: Pantene Miracle Moisture Boost Shampoo and Conditioner With Rosewater

October 6th, 2020 by Karen 8 Comments

pantene miracle moisture boost rose water — A couple of my drugstore hair loves

I absolutely love this stuff! If you’re looking for a budget-friendly, moisturizing shampoo and conditioner for smoothing frizzy hair, this drugstore duo is a star. The most tragic thing about Pantene Rosewater Shampoo and Conditioner is that they aren’t sold in wine barrel-sized vats!

Yes, they’re both that good. I went to Target yesterday and picked up my fourth bottle of each!

This sulfate-free drugstore shampoo and conditioner is made to moisturize dry strands and tame frizzy hair, and it’s been a minor miracle for my grays, which I’ve been growing out for over a year now. My grays, especially the ones around my bangs and hairline, are totally and completely unruly, and this set helps to smooth down the noodle strands that stick up at all kinds of weird angles.

Here’s the kicker: both the shampoo and conditioner tame the crazies without weighing my strands down.

I don’t like most hair products designed to defrizz and smooth because they usually leave a noticeable residue, and I don’t like it when my hair looks and feels like it’s covered in “stuff.” Not a fan of flat helmet head, ya know?

Even though these work well, they don’t leave a thick residue behind. Just smooth strands with lots of volume, lift and movement.

And they smell good too! They have a fabulous faint rose fragrance.

FYI, if you’d like to get just the shampoo or the conditioner separately, they’re about $8-9 each at Target (8-oz. bottle). Pantene also sells a boxed set with both for $12.99.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Product Spotlight: $10 Honest Beauty Liquid EyeLiner

October 1st, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

Dude, this long-lasting black liquid liner is SO GOOD, and it’s only 10 bucks at honest.com!

How do I love thee, Honest Beauty Liquid Eyeliner? Let me count the ways…

1. Concentrated

Despite the fact that it only comes in a single matte black shade, it’s deep and dark like the most gorgeous black cat coat, and it doesn’t have any blue undertones at all.

2. Durable

It isn’t quite waterproof, but it’s very water resistant and long lasting (also doesn’t transfer). I’ve been wearing it all summer long.

3. Flawless

It comes in a tube with a wand that has a long, flexible felt tip that’s absolutely foolproof to use. The wand is just the right length to perfectly cradle in my paw, and the dainty felt tip draws crisp thick and thin lines equally well. Normally, I wouldn’t even think of drawing with liquid liner when I’m rushing through a fast face, but I can do it with this one.

honest beauty liquid eyeliner swatch — A matte deep black

4. Flexible

Thin lines, thick lines, dainty flicks, big ol’ bat wings — it can do it all.

And if you love diffused edges like I do (no harsh lines, baby!), the formula is easy to smudge, too. Just be sure to do your smudging before it sets, which takes about 30 seconds for skinny lines and a minute for thick ones.

INGREDIENTS:
Water (Aqua), Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Pullulan, Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate, Hectorite, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510).

5. Swift

Also, as if it needed even more going for it, the fast-setting formula won’t creep up into your crease when you blink!

What a gem for only $10! I’m going to wish upon a star for Honest Beauty to add a few more colors, as I would LOVE a dark brown option (a liquid version of MAC Coffee would be my Disney princess dream come true) — ooh! — and a gray for everyday looks.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen