Product Reviews

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Maybelline Age Instant Age Rewind Concealer

March 11th, 2019 by Karen 21 Comments

maybelline instant age rewind concealer review — A steal of a deal at just $10

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.

Dear beauty industry people…just stop, collaborate and listen. Enough with the attached sponge applicators already! The sponges get all thick and nasty, and then when I press them against my skin, there’s a weird sucking sound, like “thhhmeeeeeeee,” which is the makeup equivalent of someone saying the word “moist” repeatedly.

MOIST, MOIST, MOIST.

It’s super, super gross.

The attached sponge applicator is the only thing I don’t like about the otherwise awesome Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer. I would prefer one of ye olde standard-issue doe-foot applicators, buuuuuut since this concealer is only $10, and it’s available in a nice shade range, and it’s practically a drugstore dupe for the much pricier Charlotte Tilbury under-eye concealer, which I’ve used to the very last drop, I put up with it, because seriously, WHATCHAGONNADO? You can’t spend all your time and energy fighting city hall. *shrugs*

Anyway, this concealer is fantastic for women (and dudes… More on this in a second.) who have fine under-eye experience lines, and who also like a decent amount of coverage but don’t feel the need to go full-tilt, so FYI, Tarte Shape Tape, MAC Pro Longwear and Sephora Bright Future Gel Concealer it is not; however, if you like light-to-medium coverage (a la Hourglass Veil Retouching Fluid, which I’ve grown to love, or Tatcha Softlight), it’s magic in a click pen, because the concealer never appears caked-on or thick when applied to mature skin with lines.

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Product Spotlight: Wander Beauty Mile High Club Mascara

March 6th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

wander beauty mile high club smoky 5 — For crazy curl!

Quick take: This marvelously easy-to-use mascara lengthens, lifts and holds a curl almost all the way up to the stratosphere. It’s also practically waterproof (even though it isn’t alleged to be).

Wander Beauty just gets me, man. It’s like they have a camera into my soul! They know that I usually only have 10 minutes a day to do my makeup, so every nanosecond of that 10 minutes counts, and every moment is so precious and beloved and luxurious to me that I’ve become obnoxiously picky about the products I use. I literally have no more time for nonsense.

The days when I would bust out three different mascaras to do a single look are long gone. Now I’m all about one tube — ONE TUBE TO RULE THEM ALL! — and that’s what I’ve found with Wander Beauty’s New Mile High Club Mascara ($26).

It has since replaced the It Cosmetics Super Hero Mascara I was loving on for a minute, and the reason is because it isn’t finicky at all. Like, I can just pull it out of the tube, plop it on, and I get even better results that I get from Superhero — lighter-than-air lift, longer lashes and darker, richer pigment — all without having to deal with any drama.

My lashes also look fuller, since Mile High combs each hair out so precisely that it looks like I have more lashes than I actually do. Two coats, and they’re full and fanned.

wander beauty mile high mascara — Two coats of Mile High on my upper and lower lashes!

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Product Spotlight: Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser

March 6th, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

clinique redness solutions cleanser — And my skin goes “AHHHH!”

Quick take: Here’s a hidden Clinique gem for anyone with red, irritated skin, or for anyone who simply loves creamy, moisturizing cleansers.

Ugh. Red patches.

So not fun! I started using a retinol product about three months ago, which has also meant that my skin freaks out every so often and the aggressive exfoliation triggers these red patches to appear. And MAN, those spots hurt like a mutha.

Yesterday I took a walk around the neighborhood, and the red spots on my neck were so itchy and sensitive that I couldn’t even zip up my hoodie all the way. The fabric rubbing against my neck felt like straight-up FIRE on my skin.

Thank the beauty gods for Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser, which is one of those cleansers that’ll have your skin sighing with relief — AHHH! — after you wash your face.

It’s from the Clinique Redness Solutions line, which is their calming and soothing skin care collection for people with Rosacea or “reactive redness,” which is when an event, like a sunburn, or certain medications or retinol, in my case, causes your skin to become red and inflamed.

From clinique.com…

Details:
For any skin with occasional or persistent redness.

What It Is:
Non-drying cream cleanser is the first step in our Redness Solutions Regimen. Use the entire regimen to see an immediate improvement in visible redness.

What It Does:
Melts away makeup and impurities. Helps calm redness and irritation while preserving skin’s moisture balance.

Key Ingredients/Technology:
Probiotic Technology includes our patented, skin-soothing lactobacillus extract.

Ingredients:
Water\Aqua\Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sucrose, Isostearyl Palmitate, Peg-100 Stearate, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract\Extrait D’Orge, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Cetearyl Glucoside, Camellia Sinensis (Yellow Tea) Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis (Red Tea) Leaf Extract Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Yeast Extract\Faex\Extrait De Levure, Algae Extract, Caffeine, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyethylene, Glyceryl Stearate, Salicylic Acid, Sorbitol, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Cholesterol, Linoleic Acid, Acetyl Carnitine Hcl, Glycine, Inulin, Tromethamine, Decarboxy Carnosine Hcl, Phytosphingosine, Cetyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Squalane, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Silica, Disodium Edta, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Blue 1 (Ci 42090), Yellow 5 (Ci 19140), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Mica

It’s a gentle moisturizing cream cleanser, so no bubbles, and the moment that it hits my skin, my face and neck immediately feel better…less itchy and tight, and just generally less angry. The smoothing “ahh!” effect lasts for hours afterwards, too, which I love.

If you wear minimal makeup, Redness Solutions can also double as a makeup remover, but if you’re a “foundation, concealer and setting powder” kinda girl (or guy), I’d suggest using a separate makeup remover first (I like Fresh Seaberry), and then doing a second cleanse with Redness Solutions.

But even if you don’t have redness, and perhaps just have sensitive skin and/or you prefer gentle, creamy cleansers, I still think you’ll like this, just because it’s so, so agreeable.
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The New MAC Art Library: Nude Model Eye Palette

March 1st, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

mac art library nude model open — The new MAC Art Library: Nude Model Palette ($48)

There’s a long list of lovely neutral eyeshadow palettes out there in the makeup multiverse, but when it comes to the best of the best, maaaaaaan, MAC? *snaps* When they get it right, they get it right. They write the freaking book.

Cases in point: Brooke Shields. (I still drool a little every time I think about it.); the Nordstrom Naturals palette; and the Warm Neutral and Cool Neutral Palettes.

BOMB.

And now, the new MAC Art Library: Nude Model palette.

It’s $48 and one of three eye palettes available now in the new MAC Art Library collection. I think it’s the most wearable of the bunch with its 12 neutral shades, but that’s just one of many reasons I’m lovin’ on it.

With it, you get a mix of old faves (hi, Shroom and Espresso!) and new ones, but the real beauty is that there are so, SO. MANY. MATTES.

Seven of them! When does that ever happen?! Um, never?

The rest are shimmers, none of which are too obnoxious, with various levels of shine and glitter.

mac art library nude model swatches — I’m an NC42, by the way.

All the Art Library palettes were pieced together by MAC artists, and you can totally tell the these gals/guys had wearability and flexibility in mind.

Making matters even more profoundly wonderful is how easy all 12 are to blend. Plus, there aren’t any orange-y or reddish brown transition colors, which is quite unusual. Most of the MAC neutral palettes I mentioned at the top have at least one warm, mid-toned orange brown transition shade like Saddle or Soft Brown, and don’t get me wrong — I love those shades, but they can be a tad repetitive, particularly in neutral palettes.

Bucking that trend, Nude Model’s mid-toned matte transitions are yellowish browns and cool-toned beige grays, which you don’t see often, and it changes the palette’s overall vibe. It can’t be characterized as a simple warm-toned palette or a cool one. It’s smack dab in the middle. A neutral’s neutral, so to speak.

mac art library nude model k — Oh, hey! Eyes: MAC Art Library Nude Model Eyeshadows in Sandstone, Shroom, Tete-A-Tint, Espresso and Drop the Robe. Lips: MAC Art Library Lipstick in Down to An Art. Cheeks: MAC Melba Blush

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Bay Area Beauty Loves: Everyone for Every Body, and EO Essential Oils

February 28th, 2019 by Karen 10 Comments

eo essential oils everyone for everybody — Marin County in the house!

Yay for the Bay! This is the last in this series featuring products from and around my stomping grounds — the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Be relaxed,” it says.

Jeez, my body oil is sooooo bossy… 😂

eo essential oils lavender final — When body products make declarative statements…

OKURRRR!

I laugh every time I bust out this bottle of EO Essential Oils Body Oil in French Lavender , which is often, because I feel like it’s giving me tough love and telling me to chill-the-eff out, Karen.

Funny thing is, after I shower and slather my legs and limbs from tip to toes with this $15 lavender-scented body oil, I actually do feel very relaxed… After using it, I’ve fallen asleep on the couch at 8 (OK, 7:30!) more than a few times. 😴

For the record, it’s quite hydrating, but it isn’t greasy, and the lavender scent isn’t obnoxiously powerful.

EO Essential Oils and Everyone for Every Body, their sister brand, are based here in my neck of the woods in the North Bay Area, Marin County. Both of them carry every kind of body care product you can imagine — hand soap, hand sanitizer, lotion, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, body oils, deodorant, face wash, the works — and their products are cruelty-free, made without synthetic fragrances, and best of all, affordable. A huge 34-oz. bottle of their Everyone 3-in-1 Body Lotion is $11! I’m a big fan of the Apricot + Vanilla and the Citrus Mint scents, which are spring and summer staples for me.

And as an avid hand washer (some might even call me obsessive about it, but whatevs!), I’m also a fan of their liquid Hand Soaps. Lots of bubbles, but the soap is easy to rinse away, and it cleans without stripping my skin. My fave “flavor” is the $8.99 EO French Lavender, which by the way also tells me to “be relaxed” whenever I see it, ha ha! If you like the liquid hand soaps from Mrs. Meyers, I bet you’ll like these, too.

Oh! — and they also do products for babies, toddlers and bigger kids! Connor Claire has a bottle of the 3-in-1 Soap Orange Squeeze, which is an $8 shampoo, body wash and bubble bath combo, in the tub, but El Hub and I shamelessly pilfer from it on occasion.

everyone kids soap coco — Orange Squeeze is her main squeeze.

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